Mauled
by McGeeklover
Summary: What if McGee's dog bite had been a little bit worse? The coked-up dog bit McGee in one of the most fatal areas possible: the neck. Will he survive or will Team Gibbs lose another agent?
1. Chapter 1

**Mauled**

**Tag to Dog Tags**

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS :(**

**Chapter 1**

"In position, Boss." Timothy McGee said from his position in the back yard. He noticed the backdoor was opened and he frowned. That wasn't good.

"Federal Agents, we have a warrant!" Gibbs yelled, pounding on the door.

When they received no answer, Tony kicked down the door forcefully and the three agents filed in. When McGee heard the front door slam open, he took that as his cue and he made a move to get into the house. Suddenly, a huge German Shepard sprang out of the house and powerfully knocked him backwards, causing him to lose his grip on the gun and drop it out of reach. He gasped as he fell hard on his back, knocking the wind out of his lungs; he was even more surprised when the dog's sharp razor teeth dug into his arm.

"Ah!" Grunted McGee. He tried reaching for his gun, but it was just barely an inch away from his trembling fingers. He was going to die if he didn't get the gun fast. Suddenly, without warning, the dog took his mouth off of McGee's arm and the agent thought he was finally giving up. He wasn't. In a split second, the German Shepard's large mouth lunged at his neck and bit down hard. Tim's eyes went wide as he gasped. He was a goner. He could already feel the blood gushing out from his wound. If he survived this, it'd be a miracle, but neck wounds were serious and there was a 50/50 chance he would live. But, he wasn't gonna die laying here helpless; he was gonna go out fighting. With the last ounce of his energy, he strained to reach his gun; it was so close, but yet, so far. But he was not giving up.

~+NCIS+~

"CLEAR!"

"CLEAR!"

"Ugh, we gotta stop serving warrants after breakfast," grimaced Tony as he and the two other agents looked at the mangled body of the petty officer.

Ziva smiled, but looked around. They were missing someone.

"Ten bucks McGee spills it on this one."

"Where is McGee?" Ziva said, something nagging at her gut.

Suddenly, a single gunshot rang out into the air, pulling at everyone's heart. McGee not being there and a gunshot would definitely not equal good results. The three ran through the house, Ziva being the fastest, and made it to the backdoor.

"Oh my god," gasped Ziva, lowering her gun in shock at the scene before her. "Oh, no McGee."

**Well? I know it's a short chapter, but I just wanted to get it started. Should I continue? Let me know, because I've already started working on the next chapter, it's just a matter of updating it! :) It normally was going to be a one-shot but apparently not and I don't know how long it will be. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Wow! I didn't expect so many favs/reviews/alerts so quickly! I'm not complaining though, they make me so happy and I'm ecstatic that people want me to continue :) FYI: sorry if in this next chapter there are mistakes, I research these things but they still could be wrong. Also grammer and spelling is my fault: its 2am. Anyways, on with the story!**

"Gibbs, call 911! NOW!" Ziva shouted as she dropped her gun and kneeled besides her friend.

"Ziva, what's the- ah, hell," Gibbs said, lowering his weapon and taking out his cell.

While on the phone, answering numerous questions, he observed the heartbreaking scene before him. His youngest agent was lying flat on his back next to a dog with a gunshot wound in his abdomen. But he didn't give a flying fuck about the damn dog; it was his agent that was more important. McGee was wheezing loudly, struggling for a breath. Dark crimson blood was streaming out through his fingers that were attempting to put pressure on the wound. His glassy eyes were flicking around, wide with fear and pain; his right arm was also bleeding from a puncture wound, the blood soaking his entire jacket sleeve. But, worst of all, McGee's face was pale, an unnatural pale along with his lips, which were turning a slight bluish hue.

"What's going- oh god, Probie," Tony said, his voice cracking and his knees going weak. He caught himself, though, against the doorframe and watched as Ziva tried to get his Probie's attention.

"McGee. Tim can you hear me?" Ziva whispered.

Tim slowly brought his gaze to the Israeli and spoke. "Z-Ziva?"

Ziva smiled, placing a gentle hand on the younger man's face. It was only then when she noticed blood was on her hand. Tim's blood. She looked around and saw that the ground and McGee's collar was covered in it. She cursed loudly, running her hand through Tim's hair.

"Ziva, go wait for the ambulance. I'll stay with McGee."

Ziva nodded quietly as she glanced at McGee one more time before standing up and going to the door. When she passed Tony, she noticed how quiet and pale the man was.

"Tony, are- are you alright?"

"I-I'm not sure." Without another word, he went to his little brother and knelt on the other side of him.

Ziva sighed as she left to go wait for the ambulance.

"McGee," Gibbs said, tapping the young agent's face.

Tim looked up and locked eyes with the senior agent.

"B-b'ss?"

"Move your hand," he said softly.

It took a moment for McGee to realize what was being said, but in a few seconds, his hand slid from his neck and dropped next to Tony's knees. Gibbs quickly put his hand on McGee's wound, putting pressure onto and eliciting a pained groan from the younger man.

"B-b'ss, I'm s-sorry," Tim choked out. "S-scr'wed u-up."

Both the older agent's shared a glance before looking back down at McGee. But to their horror, Tim's eyes were fluttering close.

"Hey!" Tony shouted as he patted McGee's cheek. "No sleeping on the job, Probie."

McGee's eyes opened slightly as he weakly glared up at the older agent.

"S-stop h-hit-hitting me, T-Tony."

"Only if you stay awake, Probie."

"C-can't. Too ti-tired a-and c-cold."

"McGee, look at me," a gruff voice broke through Tim's cloudy thoughts. He looked back over to his Boss fearfully.

"You. Will not. Die. Do you understand me? You don't have permission. Just try and calm your breathing; the ambulance will be here soon."

McGee's chest rose and fell quickly as he stared at his boss. Suddenly, he began coughing, and both senior agents paled. Blood sprayed out onto Tim's face. It was getting into his lungs.

"Dammit. Where's the freakin' ambulance!" Tony shouted, looking towards where Ziva disappeared. He looked back at McGee- his little brother that he cared so much about- and gasped. McGee's eyes were closing again.

"Dammit, Tim, you gotta stay awake," he said, slapping McGee's face again. When he received no response, his heart beat against his chest painfully.

"McGee? Tim! Tim answer me!"

McGee finally looked up at Tony, but in another second, his eyes closed…and stayed closed.

"McGee! Dammit, you do not have permission!" Shouted Gibbs, putting more pressure onto the flowing wound. "McGee!"

Silence. Silence except for Tim's harsh breathing.

"The ambulance is right down the street, I already waved them dow- oh no," Ziva almost passed out when she saw McGee's condition had worsened. He was going to bleed out; he was going to bleed out and die. It should have been her; she would have been more able to take on the dog. Not that she was saying McGee was weak, because she wasn't; McGee, next to Gibbs, was one of the strongest people she knew. If Tim died, she didn't think the team would be able to function like the way they did now. Tony would probably never joke around again, Gibbs would be Gibbs, and Abby- oh, god Abby.

Then, time seemed to go by in a haze. The worst sound possible rang in all three agent's ears. The sound of stillness. They all looked down to McGee and their eyes widened. He was no longer breathing. The rapid rise and fall of his chest had ceased and the raspy breathing had stopped as well.

"No. Nononono!" Tony shouted, slapping Tim's face brutally. "Tim, don't you dare do this to us- don't you do this to me!"

"Dammit, Tim," Gibbs hissed. But no matter what his agent's condition was, he would not remove his hand from the wound. Tim would not die; he was going to make sure of it.

Tony looked at Tim's lax face- his abnormally pale face- and grabbed Tim's limp, bloody hand. He kept squinting his eyes, trying to keep his emotions in check; trying to keep the tears from falling. He heard a whine from behind him and he became pissed. The fucking dog was still alive, but here in front of him McGee was dying. God, he hated animals sometimes.

Finally, the paramedics came rushing to McGee's aid, shoving Tony out of the way and getting the young agent stabilized.

"He's not breathing," stated Gibbs. God, he hated those words.

"Alright, thanks. You can remove your hand now. We got it from here." Gibbs nodded and shakily removed his blood drenched hand as the paramedics began cleaning Tim's wound carefully, the more serious one first. Once they finished patching up Tim's neck, they cut off his sleeve of his expensive jacket…

_Man, Probie is not going to like that._

…and began working on his arm.

Gibbs could feel the warm blood drip from his fingers and onto the ground as he stood up and moved next to Ziva and Tony, who were standing by the door. He barely even noticed that his sleeves and his pants were drenched with his agent's blood. _God dammit!_ It was too much, too god damn much! They watched quietly as the paramedics began to shock Tim's heart. They tore his jacket, shirt and undershirt apart, revealing his bare chest- his bare, _immobile_ chest.

"Charging to 200…Clear!"

Tim body jerked upwards, causing the team to flinch. But, still, there was no success in reviving Tim.

"Still no pulse. Charge to 260…Clear!"

"Still nothing."

"Come on, Probie, come on," Tony whispered.

"Charge to 300…Clear!" The paramedics waited for a second and then…

"We have a pulse."

Everyone seemed to get their breath back once they heard this, but their hearts were still heavy with worry. Tim was not out of the woods yet; not by a long shot.

"Dammit, his throat's closed up. We need to intubate him immediately."

The paramedics pulled out a tube and shoved it down McGee's throat. Attaching an oxygen mask to it, they put on a neck brace and then carefully maneuvered him to a gurney.

"We have to get him to Bethesda straightway, his blood pressure and O2 levels are already dropping." The two paramedics began rushing around the house and to the ambulance.

"Wait, I want to ride with him!" Tony shouted.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs began.

"Boss, please. I have to…please."

Gibbs sighed heavily and nodded in resignation. "Go. Keep me updated, we'll be there soon."

Tony nodded and sprinted to catch up with the paramedics.

Gibbs took a shaky breath and looked at the scene around him. As much as he didn't want to process the crime and attack scene, it was their job and it had to be done. "Ziva, call Ducky. We have a crime scene to process."

"What? You can't possibly be serious. We have to go to the hospital, McGee needs us there. Another-"

"Ziva," Gibbs said in a calm voice and placing two steady hands on the Israeli's shoulders. "We _will_ see him, but it'll be pointless when he's gonna be in surgery for who knows how long. Alright?"

Ziva nodded, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She took out her camera and reopened her eyes. "Let's do this for McGee.

**TBC**

** Kind of a boring chapter, but I hope it came out alright. Once again, if my medical things are incorrect, I apologize. The next chapter to come soon :) BTW: was anyone pissed at the end of the S9 ending of the NCIS finale? I know for sure I was, I was pulling out my hair and jumping around and yelling into my pillow. That's how pissed I was. Anyways, hope you liked this chapter and the next one to come up soon. **

** Preview: Tony in the ambulance with McGee; Ducky coming to the crime scene; and lastly, Abby. Oh damn, what are we gonna do with her?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Wow! Thank you everybody for responding so quickly to this story! It made my day :) sorry it took a while to update. I was stuck at my mom's for the weekend and sadly we have no internet. But it gave me extra time to write more than one chapter :) **

"Oh dear, Jethro. Is it all-?"

"Yeah, all of it's his, Duck."

Ducky and Jethro stood in the doorway of the backdoor watching Ziva quietly take pictures and a blood sample. They all knew it was McGee's but it was a crime scene and it was standard procedure. Palmer was nervously patching up the dog- even though it didn't deserve care- and Ducky was still a bit in shock to go see what he was really there for.

"H-How did he look?"

"Not good, Duck. Not good."

"Good lord. I'll definitely be praying for him. And Anthony is with him you said?"

"Yeah."

Ducky nodded as he turned back into the house to take care of the dead body. He was so thankful that Timothy wasn't one of them. A neck wound with that much blood didn't look good for the young agent.

"A-Alright, the dog is a-all set to be taken back f-for evidence," stuttered Palmer. He tried not to look at the giant pool of blood next to him, because, truthfully, it was making him sick. Normally those types of things wouldn't faze him, but that was a friend's blood. He was barely able to hold it in when Agent Todd was on the autopsy table. He just prayed McGee wouldn't have the same fate.

"Thanks Jimmy," Gibbs said as he watched Palmer bring the dog to their car. As much as he didn't want the damn dog in the same breathing space as them, it was the job. He turned back to Ziva and sighed.

"Ziva, you all done?"

"Yes Gibbs," she said quietly as she stood up.

"I'll see you at the hospital, Duck."

Ducky nodded, not looking up from the dead body as the two agents made their way back through the house.

"Hold on. Why don't we wash up first," Gibbs said gesturing to both their blood caked hands.

Ziva looked down at her shaking hands, forgetting that there was blood on them. She nodded as she went to the bathroom while Gibbs went to the kitchen sink. In five minutes, the engine to the car revved and they were on their way back to NCIS…no matter how badly both of them wanted to be at the hospital.

~+NCIS+~

Tony looked down at his best friend sadly as he held the cold hand tightly; both, of which, were covered in blood.

"You gotta pull through for me, man. What am I gonna do without a Probie? I don't wanna have to break in a ne-" Tony couldn't finish his sentence as he clenched his teeth together. He wasn't gonna cry, he wasn't gonna let his mask falter; not when Tim needed strength the most.

"I swear to god, I'll never forgive you if you die. And that dog? I'm gonna rip it to shreds and Abby will never forgive me. You don't want Abby mad at me right? I'm too loveable." As expected, no response.

Tony looked away from Tim's closed eyes and stared at the long tube coming out from his mouth. _Damn this is all so wrong!_ He ran his cleaner hand down his face tiredly and closed his eyes. None of this was supposed to happen to McGee. He wasn't a danger attracting person unlike him or Gibbs. It should have been him; it should have been him to be fighting for his life, not Probie.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid beeping brought him out of his guilty thoughts. It could only mean one of two things: Tim was waking up or… he was about to flat line. Slowly, he opened his eyes, afraid of what he might see, and looked down at his friend. His heart nearly plunged to his feet when he saw Tim's eyes fluttering open.

"Tim?"

Tim lazily brought his eyes over to Tony and the older man squeezed McGee's hand in encouragement.

"Hey, buddy. You're in an ambulance. Old Yeller took a bite out of ya," Tony smiled.

Tim just looked at Tony with a blank expression, wondering what the hell was going on. He was in so much pain, and his neck felt like it was on fire. Worst of all, something was choking him. He brought his hand up to his mouth, but was stopped by Tony who lowered it back down to the gurney.

"You have to keep that in. You…you stopped breathing."

McGee looked at the senior agent for a moment before looking away. His eyes began fluttering close again, exhausted and in pain.

"McGee? Come on, buddy, stay awake…please."

_Was Tony _pleading_?_

Even though it was a huge shock for McGee to hear Mr. Prankster and sometimes insensitive plead, he was too tired to dwell on it. He closed his eyes and let the darkness take him away.

Tony watched as Tim's eyes began rolling to the back of his head. Almost immediately, the machines went haywire. McGee's heart had stopped.

"Get the paddles!" A paramedic yelled. "Sir, you are gonna have to move to the back of the vehicle while we get him stabilized."

Tony nodded numbly, clearly in utter shock, and he moved to the back of the ambulance. He watched in horror as, once again, the paddles met his friend's bare chest. Once again causing McGee to convulse upwards and once again fall back down to the gurney. In what seemed like hours, they managed to resuscitate Tim and then in barely a second, he flat lined again, but luckily just as they reached their destination.

"Shit!" Swore the paramedic as he and his partner opened the door. "Geez, I don't know if this guy's gonna make it, Barry."

"Well, we at least have to try," said Barry the paramedic before yelling to incoming nurses and doctors. "He's crashed!"

"Come on, Probie," he whispered as he watched Tim's limp body be wheeled into the hospital. "You can't give up or Gibbs will have both of our asses." He made a move to follow the group of medical staff behind the double doors, but was held back by a nurse.

"I'm sorry, sir. Only medical personnel are allowed behind there. In the meantime, I have some papers for you to fill out." The nurse looked at the distressed and inattentive man in sympathy. She put a hand on his shoulder and sighed. "He'll be okay; he's in good hands."

Tony looked down at her and smiled weakly. "Thanks." Without hesitation, he grabbed the papers from the nurse's desk and went to go sit in the ever so familiar chairs. Now, to play the worst game ever invented: the waiting game.

~+NCIS+~

Ziva and Gibbs drove in silence, only the sound of the dog whimpering and growling in the backseat. It took Ziva all her willpower not to go back there and strangle the animal. It wouldn't help the case and it surely wouldn't make McGee better. She shivered as she looked out of the window. She had ditched her jacket, stuffing it in the truck, because she couldn't bear to look or smell it any longer. She figured Gibbs hadn't done the same, because he was, still, in too much shock to do anything but drive at the moment. They pulled into the garage and at the same time, they saw Abby wheeling a cart out of the way. She noticed them and smiled before turning her back to the car. The two agents shared a fearful and worried look; Abby wasn't gonna take this news very well.

Putting the car in park and shutting it off, Ziva stepped out and Abby instantly greeted her.

"Hey, Ziva, whatcha guys got for me?"

"Uh, umm, there's a dog in the back. It's evidence."

"Aww, a poor dog involved in a murder? I highly doubt it had anything to do with it, though," Abby said cheerfully, not even noticing how pale Ziva was, the nervousness in her voice, or that Gibbs still hadn't got out of the car. Abby opened the door and immediately noticed the wound on the dog.

"What happened to him?"

"He was shot, Abby but-"

"Shot! By who? When I get my hands around the person who hurt an innocent, defenseless animal they're gonna wish they were never born," she said angrily and turned to face the agent. "Who shot him, Ziva?"

"Tim," the Israeli whispered.

"McGee! McGee shot this poor animal?" She shouted. She turned around and threw her hands in the air. "Where is the bastard? Is he hiding, like a coward, from me? Oooh, when I see him, I'm gonna rip him a new one. I'm gonna-" Suddenly, she felt two strong hands on her shoulders. The person turned her around and she saw it was Gibbs. That's when she noticed. The blood…and a lot of it

"Gibbs a-are you hurt?"

Silence.

"What happened? Whose blood is that, Gibbs?"

More silence.

Abby looked fearfully at Ziva who was looking down at the floor. If Gibbs and Ziva were there then where were Tony and McGee? She put two and two together and she gasped.

"What happened? Did something happen to Tony? Please tell me he's okay."

"Tony's fine, Abs," Gibbs whispered.

Abby's eyes grew wider. "No, nonono. It can't be, not McGee! It's all just a stupid joke right? Please tell me it's not true." Tears began trailing down her face and she gripped onto Gibbs blood soaked jacket.

"I wish I could Abby."

"I-Is he, is he… that's too much blood, please tell me he's not-"

"He's not dead, Abby, but it's not looking good right now."

Abby's knees grew weak and she would have fallen to the floor if Gibbs hadn't been holding her up.

"C-can we go see him?" She sniffed.

"Yeah, we're going in a bit. We have to put that thing in a kennel."

"Gibbs, we can't put the poor dog in a-"

"That _poor dog_ nearly killed McGee, Abby!" Ziva burst out angrily.

"I know but…he still deserves to be out and about, not trapped in a cage. See how sad he looks."

"Who cares about the damn dog, Abby? Tim is fighting for his life, because that _thing_ decided to use him as a chew toy."

"It's not a 'thing,' Ziva, it's a_ he_! He probably didn't know better, he was probably just defending his master like any other loyal animal would do. A person with a gun isn't exactly a welcoming sight!" Abby shouted back at the agent.

"Are you listening to yourself right now? You would rather have Tim be dead? You would trade a human being for a monstrous animal? How could you be so insensitive? I bet if Tim were to hear what you have been saying, he would not want you visiting him at all. Ugh, I cannot believe you." Ziva stalked off towards the elevator, ignoring the stares from the other occupants of the garage.

Abby stood still, completely in shock. She had no idea what to say to that. She looked at Gibbs and immediately she saw the face of disappointment.

"Gibbs, I-"

Gibbs sighed and shook his head. "We'll be leaving in five minutes. Be ready." With that he followed Ziva into the elevator.

"But Gibbs," she whispered. Looking around, she saw all the other NCIS techs mumbling and glaring at her.

_"What a total bitch."_

_ "Look at that mutt; it should be locked up at a pound."_

_ "The dog and the girl."_

_ "I don't get what others see in her at all."_

Abby looked down at her feet before glancing at the dog in the back. "Come on," she said, grabbing the leash and going back to her lab.

~+NCIS+~

**Bethesda Hospital Waiting Room**

Gibbs screeched to a stop in a parking space close to the hospital entrance. The ride had been extremely quiet and awkward. Abby was alternating her puppy dog eyes from Gibbs to Ziva to the window. But neither Ziva nor Gibbs returned her gaze; they were both pretty pissed with the way she acted back at the garage. Tim was their friend and she cared more about a dog- more recently discovered, coked-up dog- than someone she's known for five years. It was unbelievable.

The three quietly made their way to the emergency waiting room and searched for DiNozzo. They found him sitting in the far corner, a vacant expression on his colorless face. Ziva was the first to make it over to him and she gently placed her, now cleaned, hand on his face. She also noticed that Tony seemed to have cleaned up, too. Good thing, because she wouldn't be able to handle seeing Tim's blood again.

"Tony. Tony, are you alright?" She whispered.

"Huh? Oh hey Z. When did you get here?"

"A few seconds ago, are you alright?"

"Oh yeah, just peachy," he said sarcastically. "My best friend was just mauled by a blood thirsty mutt and I watched him die three times…so, yeah everything's great."

"There any news on him yet?" Gibbs asked, ignoring Tony's sarcastic remark.

"No, I've been here forever and they haven't given me a damn thing! He…when we got here, he stopped breathing. He was freakin' _dead_ when I last saw him, Boss!"

"Hey!" Gibbs said head slapping his agent. "Yelling isn't gonna do us any good."

"Yeah you're right, Boss. Sorry…Hey, Abby are you okay?"

Abby was sitting far away from the group and truthfully, Ziva was glad for that. She didn't want to be near that selfish woman right now.

"What's up with her? I mean I know she's probably devastated for McGeek's life but usually she'd being crying her eyes out and curled up in Gibbs' arms.

"She's not," Ziva said, anger in her tone

"She's not what?"

"She's not 'devastated for Tim's life.'"

"What?" Tony chuckled in disbelief. "No, that can't be right."

Ziva sat next to Tony while Gibbs went over to the nurse's desk to see if he could get _any_ information whatsoever.In the next five minutes, Tony's sorrow, guilt, and fear all disappeared, instantly being replaced with sheer rage. Ziva had to restrain him from storming over to Abby and causing a scene.

"What the hell was she thinking? McGee is practically her puppy that does whatever she wants and this is how she acts? This is how she responds to her best friend being severely injured? God, I can't believe it!"

"Tony calm down."

"I can't calm down, Ziva! Her attitude towards McGee lately has been pissing me off. No one's allowed to hurt my little brother and she's taking advantage of him, making him take all the blame for _her_ careless mistakes and she doesn't give a damn about it. And, as of right now, I couldn't give a damn about her."

Abby flinched when she overheard this. Truth was she couldn't blame him or the rest of the team for hating her. What was she thinking when she said those things; when she defended Jethro- which was what she named the dog- that nearly killed McGee? But, he was just a dog and he was also drugged, so she couldn't really blame the way the poor dog had been acting. McGee came at it with a gun and it had to defend itself, right? Oh, what the hell was she saying! No wonder the team hated her right now; she was aninconsiderate, selfish, and uncaring person. The animal tried to kill her best friend. Well, she didn't know how much Tim would want to be friends with her after the way she has been treating him lately. Maybe this near death experience would make him realize that he was getting tired of her crap and then he'd never forgive her. Abby put her face in her hands and began crying. How could she be so heartless?

~+NCIS+~

**1:17pm**

It'd been five hours since the incident and four hours since the whole team had gotten to the hospital. Ducky and Palmer arrived a little after eleven and took their place with the team. Ducky had also wondered why Abby was sitting alone, but once Ziva told him about the event in the garage, he knew why. He had been a little more caring, not wanting to go and slap her in the face, but he was still pretty angry at the scientist and how ridiculous she acted.

**2:20pm**

_What was taking the doctors so long? But wasn't no news good news? Why wasn't anyone giving them a damn answer?_ Gibbs had questions running through his head as he watched the double doors with a hawk's eye. Occasionally, he would look over to Abby, whose head was still in her hands, and then to Tony and Ziva, who had fallen asleep. Tony's head was leaning back against the wall, snores emanating from his open mouth, and Ziva was also snoring loudly, her head propped against Tony's shoulder. He smirked at the sight and returned his gaze back to the doors.

**3:05pm**

"Family of Mr. Timothy McGee?"

_Finally._

The deep voice broke Gibbs out of his rambling thoughts, Tony and Ziva from their sleep and Abby from her guilt session. Ducky, who had gone to get everyone coffee, was just down the hall and when he noticed the doctor, he quickly waddled over to the man.

"Yes, that's all of us," he said for the group.

"Really?" The doctor asked suspiciously.

"Yes, really." Tony said impatiently. "Now how's Tim? Can we see him?"

Gibbs smirked. "You'll have to excuse him; he's just really worried for his brother."

Tony looked at his boss and the two shared an inconspicuous glance before looking back to the doctor.

"Well, okay then. My name is Dr. Morris and I've been attending to Tim's injuries." Then his face grew grim. That was definitely not a good sign.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news."

**TBC**

**A cliffhanger! Sorry, I couldn't help myself :) Will Tim live? Will Abby stop being a total bitch and will the team forgive her? God, I made her sound so mean in this chapter, but then again the dog tags episode made me- and probably many other Tim-lover's out there- very, VERY angry, right? But I don't know if she would actually not see the blood on Ziva right away or if most of the team "hated" her or anything else (besides being a total bitch) she does in this chapter sooooo...yeah. Bear with me for that. Anyways, stay tuned to find out and don't forget the awesome reviews! :) Buuuut since it took me so long to update this chapter, I'm gonna update chp4 soon. And by soon I mean like in 30 minutes :) You guys waited long enough.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**So to make up for not updating so quickly, I decided to post two chapters for you guys :) Enjoy! Oh, by the way I didn't research the medical stuff this time, so if anything is wrong (plus the grammar and spelling) I apologize :)**

_Previously:_

_ "I'm afraid I have some bad news."_

Now:

Everybody's heart literally plummeted to the ground when they heard this. This had to be a nightmare; this couldn't be happening…but it was.

Ziva was the first to regain her voice and she cleared her throat.

"W-what…what's the matter? Is T-Tim…is he-" she looked down, not being able to bring herself to finish the sentence.

"Oh no, he's not dead. If you'll all follow me to my office, I have a few things to talk to you about Timothy's condition."

The team nodded as they followed Dr. Morris down to his office. Abby, still very quiet, strayed behind, knowing she wasn't really welcome. But she still went anyways; she had to see if Timmy was okay. Once they all filed into the room, Dr. Morris shut the door and went around to his desk. Sitting down he sighed and looked down at his clipboard. Then he looked at the grief stricken group in front of him with sympathy.

"Well, first off, I must say Timothy is very lucky to be alive. The bite was dangerously close to severing his artery. But speaking of his artery, it _was_ nicked, and that is why he lost over 2 pints of his blood. We have him on a blood transfusion right now and he also coded three times on the table- each of which we barely managed to resuscitate him. He also stopped breathing on his own so we had to intubate him again." The doctor shook his head and sighed heavily before continuing. "The bite on his arm was a little less serious and that was easier to patch up. But, both wounds, I must say, developed a serious infection and therefore we aren't allowing visitors until he's strong enough to fight the viruses."

Dr. Morris observed the team's reaction. All of them looked devastated- even the grey haired one who looked like he couldn't have any emotions. He really didn't want to give them any more bad news, and that's what he really hated about his job.

"Is that all, doctor?" Ducky asked quietly.

"I'm afraid not; that wasn't even the bad news."

The team gasped. What could be worse than what they just heard?

"One question though: is Timothy a drug user?"

"What? No! He's never done drugs in his life!" Tony barked angrily, defending his friend. "He won't even take painkillers unless they are hidden in his food."

"Tony," Gibbs said quietly and placing a hand on his shoulder.

Tony took a deep breath and wiped a weary hand down his face. "Sorry."

"I just had to ask, because we found cocaine in his system, causing the recovery process to be longer and difficult."

"The dog that had attacked him recently was exposed to it, Dr. Morris. It must have transferred into Timothy's bloodstream when he was bitten," stated Ducky.

"I see. Then that clears up that dilemma." _Now on to the worst. _The doctor looked at everyone in the eye sadly and they seemed to know the blunt of the news was coming at them full force.

"Timothy, I'm sorry to say, has gone into a deep coma. We are not sure why or when he'll wake up, but we are doing everything in our power to keep him healthy and alive. We cleared his blood of all the cocaine and we are pumping him full of antibiotics to fight off the infections as we speak."

The room was silent after the doctor finished talking. Everyone was too shocked to speak; even Tony was lost for words.

"Would…would we be able to see him?" Ducky asked.

"Well, like I said earlier, we aren't allowing visitors until he can fight off the infections better, but you are welcome to see him through the glass window of his room."

"Thank you, doctor," whispered Gibbs hoarsely. His mouth was dry; his agent- his son- was practically dead, because he forced the kid to go to the backdoor by himself. He didn't send him with someone else, because he assumed the kid could handle it. He knew Tim was strong, but no one could take on a 80-pound drugged up German Shepard by themselves.

The next few minutes were long and voiceless. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts; even Abby, not that anyone cared at the moment. The Goth was still awkwardly trailing behind the team, quiet as ever. The news she just heard had angered her; she was pissed at the dog, she was pissed at herself and she was pissed at Tim. That retched dog, that she thought was so defenseless, had nearly ripped McGee up like a rag-doll. She couldn't believe that she ever stood up for the damn thing. She loved animals and she'd do anything for them, but Jethro…he was just a monster. She hated herself even more; she thought back on what she had said back in the garage:

_"McGee! McGee shot this poor animal?"_

_ "Where is the bastard? Is he hiding, like a wimp, from me?"_

_ "That poor dog nearly killed McGee, Abby!" _

_ "I know but…he still deserves to be out and about, not trapped in a cage. See how sad he looks."_

_ "Who cares about the damn dog, Abby? Tim is fighting for his life, because that thing decided to use him as a chew toy."_

_ "It's not a 'thing,' Ziva, it's a he! He probably didn't know better, he was probably just defending his master like any other loyal animal would do. A person with a gun isn't exactly a welcoming sight!"_

_ "…You would rather have Tim be dead? You would trade a human being for a monstrous animal? How could you be so insensitive?"_

Tears began to form in her eyes, causing her mascara to run. Tim was going to hate her just like everyone else already did. Maybe he already did hate her; the way she had been treating him, like a servant, she wouldn't blame him. She sighed, not taking her gaze off from the floor; she really hated herself right now.

"He's right here," a voice broke everyone out of their thoughts.

Everyone besides Abby, still not knowing her place, looked in the window and each had a different, yet similar, reaction. The sight before them was almost unbearable. Tony lost feeling in his legs for a moment and he almost collapsed to the ground until he caught himself. Ducky shook his head in shock, Ziva struggled to keep the tears from falling and Gibbs…Gibbs was just too stunned, upset, and shaken to react, but inside he was crying and outraged.

Tim was laying stock still in the hospital bed under sheets that weren't even whiter than he was. Well, his face was more a pale gray than complete white, but it was still horrible to see. Ugly dark shadows lined themselves underneath Tim's closed eyes, making them appear sunken. Like the many corpses they had to deal with. Large bandages were on both bite areas and if you looked close enough, you could see that the neck wound had been bleeding a bit after it was patched up. Two IV's were in each of Tim's arms; one for blood and another for antibiotics. A thin layer of sweat coated McGee's drawn face and the expression he wore was none other than pain and fear. A long blue tube, which was held in place by surgical tape on Tim's face, ran out of his mouth and to a large machine. That machine was the only thing keeping him alive at the moment. Speaking of machines, the temperature reading was not good. _105.2. Unbelievable._ He looked so small and fragile. He looked so sick and it nearly killed the team to see him in that condition.

That's when Ziva had enough of it. Turning around to leave she glared at Abby who was watching the team's expression quietly. Her big doe eyes looked at Ziva, hopeful that she might forgive her or at least just talk to her. Well, she talked to her alright.

"I hope you are happy." With that, Ziva left.

Tony saw what happened, as did Gibbs and Ducky and they decided if they couldn't see Tim, they might as well use the time to rest, freshen up, eat, and go file an incident report. Hopefully within that time, Tim will be well enough to have visitors and maybe, just maybe, wake up. They knew it was a long-shot, but they kept their fingers crossed.

As Tony passed Abby, he avoided her gaze and walked away quietly. Gibbs just looked at Abby and sighed, pursing his lips before leaving too. But before he did he turned to Ducky.

"Ducky do you mind taking her home?"

"Not at all, Jethro," Ducky said softly, flicking a glance at the scientist.

When the agents left, Abby shuffled over to the window and took in Tim's state. She inhaled sharply as tears immediately flowed out of her eyes.

"Oh my god. H-He looks terrible. What have I done? I've been so mean to Timmy recently and then I side with a stupid dog? I'm probably the worst friend he's ever had!" Abby began bawling and collapsing on a nearby chair. "I'm so sorry, Timmy. I can't believe how selfish I've been acting."

Ducky looked at the Goth in pity. He went over and sat in the chair next to her, placing a gentle hand on her back. Abby looked up at him sadly and began spilling out words.

"What if he dies Ducky? Wh-what if he dies and I can't apologize to him?"

"Gibbs made it very clear to Timothy that he was not allowed to die, Abigail and I'm positive Timothy would not disobey a direct order from him."

"He's gonna hate me so much like everyone else already does. Even Gibbs is pissed with me...and I don't blame them. I acted like a complete jerk."

"I don't really think anyone hates you, Abigail, they are just annoyed and furious with the way you acted towards the situation. Now, I know you love animals, especially dogs, and I know how you feel about animal cruelty, but Timothy was trying to fight for his life. If Timothy hadn't shot Jethro, than we would be in autopsy instead of the hospital. Would you want to go to another funeral? Is Timothy's life really worth less than a dog?"

Abby sniffed and shook her head. "No, of course not! But by the way I acted, I must have implied that. I can't believe I said those things, it's just when I see a hurt animal I get so mad and defensive. But n-now that I saw how bad Timmy looked, I-I just…I really hate that dog now. I can't believe I ever defended it. I don't care how drugged up it was or if it was protecting its master. It hurt my Timmy and that's not okay."

Ducky smiled and pat her back. "Let's get you home, shall we?"

Abby nodded. She was exhausted so she wanted to get a good night's rest so she would be ready for a full day of apologizing to both the team and Timmy…even if was still unconscious.

** Hope you like this chapter :) if not, I apologize. And I also apologize for any medical mistakes, and I think I said that in the beginning, but I'm just gonna say it again. Oh, and don't forget the reviews! :) **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Oh, just so everybody knows, I'm going with the date Dog Tags was aired on (April 15, 2008) so that's when McGee was attacked. Enjoy :)**

**April 15, 2008 4:09pm**

Abby was dropped off at her apartment at 4:09pm. When she stepped inside, all was quiet and it bothered her. Usually she would have the sound of her machines and music to comfort her, but she didn't feel much like listening to anything right now. Her Timmy was severely injured and she reacted horribly towards the situation. Quietly taking off her jacket and boots, she made her way over to the couch and curled up with a blanket. She stared at the black screen of the TV, but she didn't feel like she deserved any sort of entertainment. So for the next few hours, she decided to mull over what she'd say to the team and to McGee.

~~~NCIS~~~

**4:27pm**

Gibbs dropped Ziva and Tony off at each of their places and then drove home quietly. The car ride with his two agents was unnervingly silent; even Tony was quiet. But who would blame the man, he watched his best friend- practically brother- die in front of him and now be in a very critical place right now. Gibbs was shocked that Tim didn't bleed out at the house, it was so much and it was coming out too fast for him to staunch with, even, two hands. He shuddered as he looked down at his sleeves. They were caked in dried blood, and he made a mental note to take a long, hot shower when he got home. Tim was more than an agent to him; he was a remarkable, talented, smart young man that never ceased to amaze him when he found answers to their cases with a finger snap. Of course, he would never had told the kid that before, but now…no Tim was going to live and when they were allowed to see him, saying how proud he was of McGee would be the first thing out of his mouth. Gibbs smirked as he pulled into his driveway. Things were going to be different.

~~~NCIS~~~

**4:35pm**

Tony threw his things onto the counter of his kitchen and looked at his couch. Just three days ago, he invited Tim for a guy's night: movie, beer, the whole brotherly bonding stuff. They had been joking around- well, he had mostly been making fun of McGee, but it was still fun. Just to think that his best friend could die at any given moment made him sick. Speaking of being sick, he looked down at his hands and, only then, did he notice Tim's blood was still on his hands, under his fingernails and his suit sleeves. Before he knew it, he was rushing to the bathroom, and he barely made it as he doubled over the toilet, puking his guts out. When he was finished, he felt completely drained off all energy and willpower. The tears that threatened to show themselves earlier finally began to spill. He put his head in his hands and began letting it all out. Seven minutes later found him slumped against the bathroom wall, passed out from exhaustion.

~~~NCIS~~~

**4:40pm**

Ziva slowly walked into her apartment and sighed heavily. She knew what had to be done, and it had to be done immediately before Tim got worse. She went into her room and knelt down next to her bed. Closing her eyes, she started praying, whispering softly in Jewish. A couple tears made their way out of her eyes, but she didn't really care. No one was around to see her mask falter. When she finished, she kissed the Star of David necklace and stood up. Without taking of anything but her boots, she climbed into her bed and fell into a deep but restless sleep.

~~~NCIS~~~

It was almost a week after the attack and everybody, reluctantly, had to go back to work. It was awkward, though, for everyone. Abby would have to get her own Caf-Pow's, because Gibbs would never bring them down to her anymore. The only reason he, or anyone else, went to her lab was to get information for their recent case.

Tony never talked unless it was about their work. Ziva would watch him sadly sometimes, and occasionally catch him staring vacantly at McGee's desk. When she would ask him if he was ok or if he wanted to talk, he would just get up and go to the bathroom. Gibbs' team was strictly all work and no play now; no goofing off, no jokes, no pranks, no nothing. And it was all, because of the damn dog that chose to use McGee as its personal ragdoll. It pissed everyone off whenever they thought about that monster.

**April 24, 2008 12:06pm**

"Yeah, Gibbs."

Tony looked up eagerly, as did Ziva. Every time Gibbs answered a call, they prayed that it was news- good news at that- from the hospital. They wanted to see their friend, they wanted to hold his hand and tell him that he was going to be alright. They didn't care if he was awake or unconscious, they just. Wanted. To see him.

Tony watched Gibbs' facial expression, but he could not see if what was being said on the other line was good or bad. It had to be the hospital; the call was way too long to be a new case debriefing.

"Thanks, I appreciate it….We'll be down in fifteen minutes." With that he hung up and looked at his agents expressionlessly.

"Boss?"

"Gibbs?"

"The doctor is allowing visitors for Tim now. We can go see him."

Tony's face seemed to brighten as the ever so familiar grin formed. He stood up, anxious to go to the hospital immediately.

"Really? Is he awake? Can he talk? Can we see him now?"

Gibbs smiled sadly. Only DiNozzo. "No, he isn't awake, Tony. He's still in a coma."

Tony's moment of joy seemed to falter as he sat back in his chair.

"I also had to call Tim's parents, but they weren't available. His sister was though, so _she_ will be the first one to see McGee."

The two younger agents nodded. Well, at least they knew Tim was getting better; that was the best news they had heard all week. Now, even though Gibbs was still a little angry with Abby, he decided that she should know too, so he got up and headed for her lab.

~+NCIS+~

When he entered her domain, it was quiet. It wasn't surprising, though, since it had been that way for the past week. He found her staring at her computer quietly and unmoving, waiting for matches and whatever else she did with the machines.

"Abby."

Abby gasped and turned around sharply. "G-Gibbs! Umm, I d-don't have anything for you right now, but I let you know as soon as I do. I can't really seem to get a match to this soil sample, and I know you don't want to hear what I don't have, so I'll just skip that and my mass spectrometer isn't working as well as it should be and all my machines are in the fritz and-"

"Abby," Gibbs said gruffly but softly. The Goth didn't look good, like she hadn't been sleeping well at all. Her pigtails were uneven, her makeup wasn't on and her clothes were wrinkled and untidy.

Abby looked at Gibbs wildly, her breaths coming out harshly. Suddenly, she began to burst out in tears.

"Oh, Gibbs, I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me when I said those things in the garage. I should have given you guys a chance to explain yourselves. Ziva is right, I'm so selfish, but every time a see a hurt animal it makes me so mad. But when I saw McGee, I…I just lost it. That stupid dog is a complete monster and I stood up for it! I'm so sorry and if you still want to hate me, I totally understand. My behavior was completely uncalled for and-"

"Abby," Gibbs whispered as he moved in to hug the Goth. "It's okay. I accept your apology. And no one hated you; like you said, your behavior was uncalled for and it made people mad. It made them believe that you didn't care about McGee."

"I do care about him, Gibbs. He's worth a hellova lot more than a killer animal."

Gibbs smirked. All was quiet besides the hums the machines and the sniffs coming from Abby. After a while, she pulled away from Gibbs and wiped her face.

"So, w-why did you come down here?"

"I came to tell you that McGee is clear to have visitors. He isn't awake and his sister is going to be the first one to see him, but…he's gonna be okay."

Abby gave Gibbs' a watery smile. Things were finally starting to look up. Now she only had Tony, Ziva and Timmy to apologize to. She just hoped they would accept them. She knew Tim didn't know about her whole outburst, but he had other reasons to hate her.

**Well? Hoped you liked it! There was very little action, but it was just to keep you up to date on what was going on with the team and their thoughts. Next chapter: Visit's with McGee and possibly him waking up ;) Stay tuned!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**OMG Sorry for the very very long wait! I had major writer's block for this story, so I was working on my others til I got an idea for this chap. But don't worry I would never quit on a story. Anyways, here's the next chapter and I hope you like. Enjoy :)**

"Oh Tim, what the hell did they do to you?" Sarah whispered as she rubbed the back of her brother's hand with her thumb. She didn't really like Tim's teammates, no matter how kind he made them sound. She could see it on his face and in his eyes that he was feeling hurt by them; maybe not physically, but emotionally. Her brother could be really sensitive at times, especially when he was being made fun of. God! They were in a work environment with, supposedly, civilized co-workers; Tim had already been bullied enough in school; he didn't need it at work, too.

She blamed that Tommy guy. Well, his name was Tony, but she would always know him as Tommy, because of Tim's book. Sarah looked down at Tim shook her head.

"How could you be friends with that douche, Timmy? All he's ever done was hurt you and put you down."

But most of all, she blamed Abby. That bitch used her brother, put him down, blamed him for silly things, got him in trouble, and probably many other matters that were pointless. Scowling, she shook the thought of that Goth out of her mind and focused on her brother. He looked, horrible by the way; his face was way to grey for her liking, because he went into hypovolemic shock. The doctor had told her how he died three times and her heart almost tore into three pieces, because her heart had already broken once when she heard what happened. There were thick gauge bandages wrapped around, both, his neck and his arm, showing her just how bad the injury had been; there was even a little blood still showing through the cloth. What almost made her puke, though, was the tube that was shoved down her brother's throat. He was so weak, he couldn't freakin' breathe on his own. _Dammit, Tim. Don't you dare leave me or I will never forgive you._ His infection didn't cease to show itself, either, as layers of sweat coated Tim's pained filled face.

"You better be okay, Tim. Don't make me tell mom and dad that you died; it'll break their hearts." Sarah sniffed and angrily wiped the tears from her face. She wanted to ban Tim's "friends" from seeing her brother, but she knew he'd hate her for that. And she hated that he had so much respect and compassion for people that didn't give him anything in return. How could he be friends with such asshats?

~+NCIS+~

Tony could not concentrate one bit; more than once Ziva had to shout his name repeatedly to get his attention and Gibbs had slapped the back of his head only like a hundred times. And to think, all that had happened within the past two hours.

But how could he concentrate on work when his best friend was in the hospital, alone- well, maybe not all alone, Sarah was there- but not his friends? If McGee woke up without any of them around, he would think they didn't care. It would probably shatter his self-esteem and motivation to work alongside them anymore.

Even though Tim had turned out to be a brave and outstanding agent, the kid was probably scared out of his mind right now! And if Tim was now allowed to have visitors then, god dammit, he wanted to visit. Watching someone- more so a little brother he was supposed to look after- die isn't the best image to have stuck in your head. What if Tim died again and he wasn't there? God, he'd hate himself for life, maybe even quit. He didn't think-

"DiNozzo!"

Tony jumped, his heart nearly flying out of his chest, as he blinked at his surroundings. When he saw Gibbs glaring and standing in front of him, his cheeks turned beat red; he had zoned out…again.

"DiNozzo, what's the matter with you? You've been like this all day."

"Sorry, boss," Tony whispered.

"You okay?" Gibbs asked, his features softening.

"Yeah," Tony tried smiling but he failed. "No, not really. I just feel horrible. I've been giving Tim shit lately; mostly about his book- can you believe I'm still pestering him about that? I'm supposed to be his friend and all I've done was make fun of and hurt him; some friend I've been, right? I'd just…I'd feel a lot feel a lot better if I could see him; even if it were for five minutes. I just need to see if he's okay."

Gibbs looked at Tony in sympathy. He, too, wanted to see Tim, but apparently not as much as Tony. He sighed heavily and rubbed a hand over his face. He guessed he should let his agent go, one, because they would never get any work done if he didn't and two, Tim and Tony were like brothers and he knew Tony felt like he needed to protect his younger sibling.

"Fine; go. But be back in an hour, we need to find the ass that killed the petty officer and drugged up the dog."

Tony grinned and grabbed his things. "Thanks, boss." As he began to leave the bullpen, Gibbs called out.

"Tony."

"Yeah, boss?"

"Let him know I'll be there soon."

"I will, boss." With that, Tony hopped onto the elevator and left for the hospital.

~+NCIS+~

Tony walked quietly through the halls, feeling nervous, yet excited. His heart was beating painfully against his chest, worried at what he might see. Tim looked like crap before, what would he look like now; better or worse? Passing hot nurses and sexy doctors, he barely acknowledged them, because Tim was more important. He could hit on them later. Tony grinned at the thought, but it disappeared when he reached McGee's room. He found Sarah's face buried into McGee's chest, sobbing quietly and tightly gripping his uninjured hand. She was almost as broken as McGee.

Hating to be the one to interrupt, he knocked softly on the door, causing Sarah to lift her head up in surprise. When she saw him, her tear filled eyes turned cold and her mouth formed into a frown.

"What are you doing here?" She said coolly.

"Uh…uhmm, I just wanted to come and see how Tim was doing."

"Wow…you actually care about him," Sarah said dryly as she wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffed.

"What? Of course I care about him."

"The way he talks about you, sometimes, it sounds a lot like you don't."

"W-what does he tell you?" Tony said, shocked and a bit angry Tim would say bad things about him.

"Well he doesn't actually say it, but I can see it in his eyes. He feels hurt and unwanted," she said as she looked down at her brother, stroking his arm.

Tony looked at sadly at Tim for a moment before looking down at the floor. Had the kid really felt that way? Why didn't he say anything? _Oh, gee Tony, maybe because you would just laugh at him even more?_

"Look, Sarah; I know how big of a jackass I can be, but Tim's-"

"Like your brother and that's how brothers treat each other, yeah I know, he's told me. He also said that's how you are. Did you know he's the only reason I'm not clocking you in the face, right now? And since when are you an expert on how siblings should act towards each other? You've known my brother for, what, five years? I've known him my entire life, Tony. I've seen him go through more hell then you'd have seen in those lame ass movies you talk nineteen to the dozen about. You claim to "care about" and "be protective" over my brother, but as far as I can see, you're doing a piss poor job. Where were you when this happened? You didn't protect him from this," Sarah said, tears flowing out onto her cheeks. "Tim is my _older_ brother, Tony; he's the one who's supposed to be taking care of me, not the other way around. Look at him! I could lose him right now, because of this; what am I going to tell my mom and dad if he dies? How am I even supposed to tell that to them?"

Tony listened intently on what this feisty little girl was saying, and to tell the truth, she was right. He always said he cared about McGee, but has he ever stuck to his word? Probably, not. Maybe once or twice in the past five years, but as McGee saw it, it was just harassing and put downs. Wow, what a brother he's been and he couldn't blame Sarah for hating him; he _wouldn't _blame_ McGee_ if he hated him. Well, things were going to change. He was going to treat Tim with more respect; more as a caring brother than a bastard frat "brother."

"You're right, Sarah. Everything you just said- you're right. And from now, on that's gonna change," the agent said, stepping further into the room.

Sarah scoffed causing the man to frown in confusion. "Yeah, right. I bet you haven't said that a hundred times."

"You're right I haven't. But…I watched Tim die, Sarah, right in front of me. It was the worst experience in my entire life."

Sarah looked Tony from the corner of her eyes, but didn't speak. Tony took that as a signal to continue.

"We had another agent, Kate Todd; she was like a sister to me. An annoying one at that," Tony chuckled, "But when we lost her I just…it was devastating. Then yesterday when we were in that ambulance and Tim's heart stopped, I…" Tony cleared his throat before sitting on the other side of Tim, Sarah still not making eye contact. "That made me realize how much your brother means to me, and how distraught I would be if he…died. I don't think I would be able to continue on with working at NCIS. Too many memories; Tim has grown on me, and if he was no longer there, it just wouldn't be the same. So yeah, I guess I can be a little insensitive sometimes, but I can change that, I promise."

Sarah looked up at Tony, her cold eyes going soft and a weak smile appearing on her tear- streaked face. "Okay… but if you ever hurt my brother again, I will personally come and beat the shit outta you."

"I don't doubt that, Sarah," Tony grinned.

They sat in silence for a moment before Sarah got up and stretched. "Do you mind if I leave for a while? I don't know how long I'll be here, so…"

"Of course. Take your time."

Sarah smiled and she left the room. Now it was just Tony and Tim.

"Wow, Tim, your sister she's...she's something, huh?" He knew Tim wasn't going to answer, but hey, it was worth a shot. He was a lot better at one sided conversations anyways, but he pretended Tim was talking and he knew exactly what the kid would say.

_"No, Tony, don't you dare. My sister is off limits to your peeping eyes."_

"Aww, come on, Tim. Why would I hit on a pretty little thing like her? Come on, you know me."

_"Yeah, I _do_ know you; and the Tony _I_ know would hit on his friend's sister. I bet you'd just do it just to piss me off, am I right?"_

"Yes and no, Probie. She's hot, that's what really counts, right buddy?"

He could just see Tim roll his eyes and scoff. _"Off limits or else Tony."_

"Ha! Or else what, McGee. What could you possibly do to me?"

_"Or else I'll sic her _boyfriend_ on you. They don't like other guys making a move on their girl."_

"Ooh, I'm so scared, McGeek, I dare you. I bet they don't have-"

"Tony?"

Tony looked up and saw Ziva standing in the doorway with a bemused yet concerned look on her face."

"What are you doing here?"

"Gibbs told me you would be here…I kind of already figured that anyways. And I wanted to see how he was doing."

"Well, he's still sleeping, but I guess the pain meds are doing their jobs."

Ziva smirked. "Then what were you just doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean; who were you talking to?"

"McGee."

"I thought you told me he was sleeping, no?"

"He is, Z."

"Then why…?"

"You wouldn't understand."

Ziva rolled her eyes. "I never do, so what is different now?"

Tony smirked and returned his gaze to McGee. Ziva watched sadly as the senior agent took Tim's hand and squeezed it gently.

"Don't give up, Probie, we're all gonna be here with you."

"Not _all_ of us," muttered Ziva. "Some people care more about a killer dog than a human being."

Tony shook his head. "How do you deal with Abby, Tim? She can be so difficult to work with."

_"That's just how Abby is." _He could hear Tim sigh.

"That's no excuse, stop defending her. She cares more about an animal then she does you. Did you ever stop to think that she uses you?"

_"…"_

"Exactly. If I were you, I would stop falling into her little traps and let her figure out her own problems. But anyways, you need to rest. I'll let Ziva sit with you for a while."

_"Okay, bye Tony."_

"Bye, Tim. Oh and I almost forgot, Gibbs wanted me to let you know he'd be here soon."

_"Okay, thanks."_

Tony got up, giving one last look to McGee before squeezing Ziva's shoulder and leaving the room. Ziva smiled sadly and watched as the senior agent left. After a moment, she took Tony's seat and watched Tim's synchronized breathing. She cupped her hand on his cheek, feeling the warmth of fever and of life radiating onto her skin.

"Oh, my poor McGee," she whispered. "Please get better; we do not like to be kept waiting."

Grabbing his hand, she squeezed it gently, bringing his fingers up to his mouth and kissing them. Keeping his hand in hers, she placed it back down on the bed and sighed. _It has not been the same without you, McGee._ Slowly, she closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair. But, suddenly, she gasped and sat up when she felt the slightest twitch in her palm.

"McGee?" Ziva whispered. She watched intently, praying that she wasn't imagining things. _Please, please, please, let him be waking up. _After a few moments, nothing happened and Ziva sighed in frustration. She _was_ imagining things. Wiping her face, she sat back in the chair and started to zone out. That's when she felt it again; this time she was positive Tim's hand was moving. And to make her intuitions true, she saw Tim's eyelids flutter and his hand curl into a weak fist.

"Tim?"

**Hope this satisfies you :) once again, sorry for the uber long wait. But yayyy McGee's waking up! But will he ever be the same? Will he look at his teammates the same too? Stay tuned to find out :) reviews are nice too ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Sorry for the long delay…again. Gotta despise that writer's block huh? Anyways, hope you like this chapter :) Enjoy!**

_He woke up on grass; cold wet grass. It was a silent, cool night and he could see his breath every time he exhaled. Sitting up on his elbows, he found that he was in the middle of nowhere. There were no cars, no people, no lights- wait there were two lights in a faraway bush ahead of him. Tim squinted as he pushed himself up onto his feet and moved closer to the bush. Why were there lights in a plant? He suddenly realized it was not a light when he heard suddenly an ascending growl. He gasped and backed up when a huge German Shepard emerged from the bush. The same German Shepard that had attacked him. Its eyes shone with the same craziness and bloodlust it had the first time he was attacked. It had tasted his blood and now it was back for more. Tim backed up slowly, barely breathing as he watched the dog's movement. But with every step back, the dog moved closer._

_ Without thinking, Tim turned around and bolted. That was probably not the best idea; he could hear the raggedy breaths of the German Shepard behind him, its paws pounding the ground hard and fast._

_ "No, no, no, no," Tim panted as he ran down a path and into the woods. He quickly found a large tree and detoured, pressing his back against it while he tried to catch his breath. Sweat dripped into his eyes and mouth as he tried to breathe quietly, hoping the dog wouldn't hear him._

_ When he heard it run past him, he felt relieved and his knees went weak._ That was a close one._ He peered out made sure the dog was gone; when Tim felt it was safe, he slipped out from behind the tree and began frantically walking back the way he came. His breaths came out in short gasps, still having an uncanny feeling creep up on him. He heard a twig snap beside him and he flinched. Stopping for a moment to listen, he took a deep breath before starting up again, keeping on high alert._

_ Suddenly, without warning, a brown, furry shape lunged at him and it wasn't hard to guess what it had been._

_ "No!" He slammed to the ground, hitting his head on a root. He barely even registered the heaviness on his chest until the black spots disappeared from his vision. He squeezed his eyes shut and when he reopened them he was staring into the yellow eyes of the killer German Shepard. He could feel the drool and the hot smelly breath on his face and he whimpered in fear. The pressure on his chest was unbearable; he couldn't take a breath. Tim struggled to get the dog off, but it was no use; he was a dead man._

_ "Get off, get it off me!" He shouted._

_ The last thing he saw was the dog's sharp white teeth diving for his exposed neck and then all he could feel was pain, warm blood, and more pain. He was being eaten alive._

"Tim, can you hear me?" Ziva whispered at her unconscious friend. But for some reason, a feeling was nagging her; something wasn't right. Tim's fingers kept twitching and his eyes kept fluttering, but he made no noise; no attempt to wake up. Then, Ziva knew exactly what was going on and before she could press the button for help, McGee began convulsing on the bed. Her heart leapt into her throat as she slammed her hand on the call button and watched in horror as McGee continued to seize. _Oh my god, oh my god. Please stop McGee you are scaring me!_

"What seems to be the- oh no!" As soon as the nurse stepped in the room and saw the situation, she ran back out and called for the doctor. In a matter of seconds, the room was filled with medical personnel and Ziva was shoved out.

The Israeli felt a soft hand on her shoulder causing her to tense in reflect. Looking up, she found it was only Tony along with Sarah who was bawling her eyes out.

"Ziva what happened?" Tony said darkly.

"I- I do not know. At first I thought he was waking up but then he st-started twitching and…god I cannot watch anymore."

Ziva turned away and rushed to the bathroom, feeling sick. Tony watched Ziva as she quickly disappeared down the hall before turning back to his injured friend. The doctor was shouting medical terms he didn't understand as they tried getting McGee stable. Sarah was next to him, tears running down her face and her hand on the glass window, wishing that she could be with her brother at that very moment. It was scaring her to see Tim like that, and truthfully, it was scaring him, too. He pulled her into an embrace and she buried her face in his chest. This has not been a good week.

*****NCIS*****

Ziva stepped into the bathroom calmly and bolted the door. Taking a deep breath, she moved to the sink and splashed cold water onto her face. What she had just witnessed made her sick; it made her weak. The things she's seen before her life at NCIS were gruesome and diabolical, but seeing a friend go into a seizure was different. Maybe if it had been someone she didn't know, it wouldn't have affected her so much, but it was _Tim_, and _Tim_ should never have to go through that. She was going to kill that dog…and Abby. But she didn't want to think of the woman that was so disloyal to the team, most of all to McGee. The Goth wasn't worth musing over. She wiped her face with a paper towel and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like crap; the last time she slept peacefully was…well she didn't really remember. Tony looked the same, and she guessed he hadn't slept a wink, either, since Tim was attacked. Taking a composing breath, Ziva stepped out of the bathroom and made her way back to the group. Just hopefully they had gotten Tim stable and that he was resting peacefully once again.

After what seemed like days, the medical team filed out of the room, the doctor followed in suit…with a very bad look on his face. _Crap._

"How is he?" Sarah sniffed after removing herself from Tony.

"The seizure spiked his blood pressure, which is not a good thing in his condition. This could risk in cardiac arrest as well as future seizures. We've given something to lower the blood pressure and hopefully it will help. The infection isn't really helping either. A few days ago, his temperature lowered to a safer number, but once again it spiked. We have him on a few cooling blankets just to be safe. This is a major setback and we have to keep him away from visitors once again. I apologize; I will let you know when you're able to sit with him again." The doctor nodded at them and gave them a small smile before leaving the three alone. What a major setback indeed.

*****NCIS*****

Gibbs bolted as soon as he got the call. He probably broke a million traffic laws, but he didn't care. He knew what Tim was doing: giving up. And as the kid's surrogate father, he was going to go through hell and high waters _not_ to let that happen. He left Abby behind, because he was, once again, pissed at the woman. She hadn't said anything in the past hours, but hearing that Tim had a freakin' seizure made him think about that goddamn dog and that made him think about how Abby defended the thing.

He screeched to a stop near the entrance and ran up the steps, wanting to get to McGee's room as soon as possible. When Tony had called, he mentioned Sarah was there and, truthfully, he was a little nervous of meeting the little spitfire again. She and Tim were the closest family members ever, unlike him and Jack, Tony and his father, and Ziva with hers. They'd do anything for each other and if Tim was protective of Sarah, Sarah would be goddamn protective of her brother. No telling how pissed she'd be at him. He sighed as he turned the corner and made it to where everyone was sitting outside Tim's room.

Tony was the first to notice the older man and he offered a weak smile before looking back down at his hands. Ziva looked like shit and Sarah…she didn't look pissed. In fact, he didn't even think she noticed the older agent. The woman just looked distant and defeated.

"How is he?" Gibbs said, looking into the window of McGee's room. Seeing the agent made him want to take what he said back. Anyone in their right mind would be able to see that Tim was _definitely_ not doing okay. He looked worse than he had before; paler, skinnier- the kid must've lost at least 15- 20 pounds by now- and once again, his fever was too high.

"Ah, hell Tim," he whispered. He had to go in there, he had to tell McGee not to give up or else he'd have his ass. He made a move to go in, but someone grabbed his arm. _Doctor._ He rolled his eyes, of course…until he heard the voice.

"Agent Gibbs, you can't go in there." _Sarah._

He turned around and found her staring at him with fire in her eyes as if the exhausted look had never existed.

"Sarah-"

"No! You're just going to make my brother a lot worse than you already have! He's sick and you're gonna k-kill him," she ended with a waver in her voice.

"Sarah…I know why he had the seizure. I know why he's getting weaker."

"Oh yeah, sure, because you're all knowing like my brother describes you. You know all he ever does is talk high of you people but I know…I know that you guys don't treat him with the same respect. My psychology class kinda helps me with that; the body language, his voice, his eyes, everything! Why can't you just respect my brother like he does you? Why could you have been there when this happened? I bet my _life_ that this could've been prevented!"

"Sarah, he's giving up!"

Everyone looked up and Sarah just looked startled.

"What are you talking about? Why would he just give up?"

"I don't know, Sarah, but I need to tell him not to. It might help."

Sarah bit her bottom lip and looked at the white-haired man hesitantly.

"If I let you, will you _immediately_ tell me what the hell happened?"

"Of course."

"Fine. I'll get the doctor to see if he'll let you."

"Thanks."

As Sarah turned to leave, she stopped and looked back at Gibbs.

"Agent Gibbs?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't want her here."

Gibbs frowned and Ziva looked up in shock. _Is Sarah talking about me? Surely she would have made me leave earlier?_

"Who?"

"That bitch Goth. I think she's hurt my brother more than anyone in his life and I do not want her here stressing him out."

Gibbs sighed. It was only fair. "Alright."

Sarah nodded and left to go get the doctor. Eight minutes later, Gibbs was dressed in scrubs, gloves, cap and mask in order to keep the out the germs. He stepped into the quiet room and sighed. _This was his fault. If he didn't send Tim to the back by himself, or at all for that matter, then they wouldn't be here right now. They'd be at the office solving a murder. But, on the other hand this had actually opened up his eyes…everyone's in fact. They finally realized that Abby was not the innocent, sweet, kind Goth they all knew. Well not everyone; Tim was the only one who knew both sides of Abby and he had always failed to see that, he always assumed Tim had done it. He had broken his own damn rule; rule number 8: never assume. He was done; he was done dealing with Abby and her behaviors…her actions. She was a grown goddamn woman, she didn't need to complain and cry like a five year old._ Gibbs shook the rambling thoughts from his head; he needed to forget about her right now, Tim was more important.

He sat down next to his agent and placed a hand on top of Tim's. He stroked the top of it with his thumb.

"God, I'm so sorry Tim. None of this should've happened. But, I'm here, your sister's here, everyone is." _Lie._ "We all want you to get better, we need you back. You're an amazing agent and brother. Do not give up, okay? I never gave you permission and I never _will_ give you permission…ever. You need to keep fighting for us, if not, your sister. Don't leave her alone. Keep fighting, Tim, just hold on. We're gonna be with you all the way."

_Because you're my family and family doesn't give up on family._

** UGH! Another tough, horrible, slow chapter. I've had a hard time with this chapter, but hopefully I can get things moving along by the next chapter. Reviews are nice :) and hopefully the next chapter will be up soon! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Wow! U must hate me right now for making you wait so long. I wonder if anyone still wants to read this. Like another one of my older stories, I kinda lost inspiration, but I would never quit on a story. So here's the next chapter and I owe a HUGE apology to everyone and I appreciate you guys for being patient. Enjoy!**

Abby sat in the lab, her head in her hands and staring at a blank screen. Gibbs was pissed at her again. He didn't say it, but she knew by the way he wasn't answering her calls. _No one_ was answering her calls. _Everyone_ hated her and she didn't blame them; she acted like a complete jerk, now and in the past, and nothing Ducky could say would change anyone's opinion. She screwed up big time. Maybe she should go to the hospital and apologize to everyone…especially Timmy. Yes, she would do just that; Abby grabbed her jacket and purse and ran out of her lab. Too bad she didn't know Sarah McGee would be there.

***NCIS***

Tony sat in a cafeteria booth looking down at the coffee Ziva had brought him about ten minutes ago. The two had just sat in silence for nearly an hour; none of them really felt like saying anything. The probably should've gone home, but they had no intention of doing so. They also had no intention of going back to the office, because they knew Abby would start bombarding them with questions. _"Why haven't you been answering my calls?" "Where have you been?" "Why isn't Gibbs talking to me?" "Do any of you care about me?"_

Tony clenched his fists in anger. He was getting more and more pissed at the arrogant Goth; she was supposed to be McGee's friend, but all she cared about was herself.

"Tony? Are you alright? You are shaking like a bee," Ziva whispered, placing a hand on his arm.

All, or just most, of the anger evaporated at Ziva's incorrect idiom.

"It's buzzing like a bee or shaking like a rattlesnake."

"Whatever…but seriously, are you alright?"

"Am I alright? Yeah, I guess; my friend just had a goddamn seizure, we can't see him for god knows how long…again and he's technically in a freakin' coma!"

"Tony, pull yourself together! Tim would not want you to be this way."

Tony sighed and bowed his head. "You're right."

"He _will_ be okay; I know Gibbs won't let him get rid of us that easily."

Tony nodded, giving Ziva a weak smile. He lifted his coffee cup and took a long drink. He wished the hospital had something stronger and he really didn't feel like leaving to go to a bar.

"H-Hey, guys," a small voice said from behind them. _Abby._

The two looked up and instantly their sad demeanor turned sour and cold; and Ziva wasn't afraid to express her anger. Standing up, she slapped the Goth across the cheek. Tony gasped, his eye growing wide at Ziva's sudden outburst. He shot up and restrained the Israeli by the arms while Abby cradled her burning cheek with tears in her eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Ziva snapped.

"I-I was coming to see Timmy; I wanted to apologize to him."

"Well you might as well turn your ass around, because his sister doesn't want you here; no one does. You really screwed up this time Abby!"

Abby looked at Tony for help, but he just averted her eyes, looking to the floor.

"Tony? Is that true?" Abby whispered.

Tony swallowed and looked at the Goth angrily. "You should just leave Abby. I'm sure Gibbs will let you know how Tim is doing."

Without another word, Abby nodded and turned to leave the hospital. _What was happening to them?_

Ziva rolled her eyes, jerking away from Tony's grasp and walking away, leaving the older agent alone. He sighed and ran a hand down his face. _This whole thing was spiraling out of control._

*****NCIS*****

Sarah watched quietly as Ziva slapped the Goth across the face. At first it startled her, but now she felt glad with a sense of pride. She grinned even more when she saw Tony blow her off, too. Guess she wasn't the only one who hated the bitch. Suddenly, she caught woman's eye and all the anger just seemed to want to come out.

"Why the hell are you here?!"  
"I-I wanted to see your brother, I-"

"Save it, bitch. We both know you didn't want to come apologize. You just wanted to make him to more stuff for you; you want him to take you to concerts and then you just leave him there. You want him to take the blame when you friggin' screw up, but news flash lady, he's in a fucking coma!"

Abby gasped, her pale face losing more and more of what was left of her color.

"Yeah, that's right. And you wanna know what Agent Gibbs said? He doesn't _want_ to wake up. No doubt, because of you. You really hurt my brother; don't you think he's been bullied enough by DiNozzo?"

Before Abby could speak, Sarah slapped her across the face, making a fresh red palm print. "You know, why don't you do everyone a huge favor and leave, okay? I don't want to see you here or anywhere near Tim ever again!"

The Goth sniffed and turned away, rushing out of the hospital. Sarah took a deep, relaxing breath to compose herself before she walked back to Tim's room; she desperately wanted to go in, but she knew it wasn't going to happen. Tim was extremely sick and she was scared. She wished mom and dad were there to help her get through this, to help _Tim_ get through this.

"Come on, Tim, please don't do this to me; please don't give up on me. I need you."

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump. Turning around, she found herself staring into icy blue eyes.

"Agent Gibbs," she swallowed.

"He's not gonna give up, Sarah."

"How can you be so sure?" She asked, looking back to her unconscious brother through the glass. "Because you told him not to? Not to be rude, but just telling someone not to give up doesn't always help…especially when they're in a coma."

"People on my team listen; every time someone on my team is hurt, I tell them the exact same thing. Tony had a deadly plague and he's still here today."

"But what if it doesn't work this time? My parent's heart will break if Tim d-dies. He's the strongest person I know; he's been through a lot of shit his high school years, because of bullying, but this might be too much for him. And I don't mean to offend the team or anything, but you guys…are not any better. I just wish you'd treat him equally, you know? But I guess it's easier said than done, right?"

"No, there's no excuse for our behavior towards Tim and I don't know why it took this accident to make me realize how he was treated unfairly. I should've noticed it a long time ago."

Sarah turned back around for a brief second to give Gibbs a weak smile. "You sure he's going to make it?"

"I know Tim; he's never the one to quit. And when he wakes up, things are going to change; a lot of things."

"I sure hope so," Sarah whispered. She tightened her arms around her body and sniffed.

"What about that girl…Abby?"

"What about her?" Asked Gibbs even though he had a feeling of to what it was.

"What are you going to do with her? Are you gonna fire her?"

Gibbs sighed. "That's not my decision to make and I know you feel she should be, but…"

"There's not really a reason for her to be fired…I understand."

"No, Sarah, it's not that; if I were the Director, I'd probably fire her. Abby was- still is- out of line and she needs to realize that Tim is not her butler."

Sarah nodded but said nothing else. Around five minutes later, Sarah cleared her throat and rubbed her hands on her arms, feeling a sense of dread overcome her.

"Agent Gibbs? Can you watch him? I'm just going to get some coffee.

Gibbs nodded and squeezed her shoulder before she started to walk away. He pursed his lips and glanced at Tim. He suddenly did a double-take when he saw the man.

"Sarah!"

The woman came rushing back in a panic, knowing that something wasn't right. "What? What's going- oh my god. Nurse!"

**TBC**

** Short chapter I know, but what has the two so alarmed? Stay tuned to find out and I the reason I stopped there is because now I already have an idea of what to write for the next chapter which should now be a lot easier. Stay Tuned…for more Abby hate haha! Reviews! :) (They make me write faster ;))**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**I know you hate me, **_**I**_** even hate me. I'm sooooo sorry for taking three million years to update this story. With my Disney vacation to the start of school to my new job, I've barely had time to sit down and think of how to write this chapter. I'm so disappointed in myself…but what really made me happy was that this was my first story EVER to get 100+ reviews! I was so psyched when I saw 107 reviews. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you guy's support so here's another chapter to express my gratitude and I apologize if it's a short chapter. ENJOY! :)**

Everything felt fuzzy and extremely painful at the same time. _What the hell is going on?_ He couldn't remember a thing; all he could sort of recall was…well, actually nothing. _That's not good._ What if he lost his memory? What if he was dead? What if-

"Tim?"

He inwardly gasped when he heard a small, almost broken voice call his name. It sounded familiar, but he couldn't quick put the voice with a name. _Come on Tim, think!_

"Tim, can you hear me? Please tell me you can hear me; I need you to wake up. I want my big brother back."

_Brother? That could only mean one thing._ Tim forced all his energy into prying his heavy-weighted eyelids open.

"Tim? Come on, Timmy that's it; open your eyes for me."

The moment his eyelids were slits, the blinding light came pouring in, nearly burning his retinas. He grunted hoarsely and snapped them shut.

"Oh, sorry Tim…there you should be fine now; the lights are off Tim, now please open your eyes."

He inwardly nodded and tried again, hoping that no light would jar his suddenly approaching headache. Squinting, Tim looked around, but only could make out fuzzy shapes and annoying noises.

"Ugnh," Tim grunted.

"It's okay Tim. You're safe now, don't worry."

That voice; why the hell did it sound so familiar? He squeezed his eyes shut a couple times in order to refocus the objects around him and when he did it all made sense: the annoying clicking and beeping, the sterilized smell in the air, an uncomfortable bed, and the harsh white lights. _Hospital. But why?_

"Tim can you hear me?"

He looked to his right and saw his, still a bit out of focus, sister staring down at him with big brown worried eyes.

"S-S'r'h? He managed to get out weakly before coughing. Flames tore through his neck and he figured that must've been the area of whatever injury he'd gotten.

"Here, suck on these this while I go get the doctor. He said he was going to be in here soon, but that was over ten minutes ago. I swear these doctors never do what they say, I mean…"

Tim gratefully took the cup of ice chips while listening to the every so familiar sound of his sister ranting fade with distance.

"How ya feeling Tim?" A gruff voice rang out from the left side of his bed.

Tim nearly jumped out of his skin, thinking that he was alone but apparently he wasn't. He looked over and saw a man who looked like he was in his fifties with grayish-white hair. The man looked at him with a raised eyebrow and Tim opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted when a man in a white coat came in with his sister in trailing behind.

"I'm sorry Agent Gibbs, but you're gonna have to leave. Only immediate family members are allowed in this room at the moment."

Sighing in frustration, Gibbs reluctantly stood up and began to leave the room. He wanted to talk to Tim…something just wasn't right and it was pulling at his gut like crazy. Just as he reached the doorway, his bionic hearing caught Tim whisper something to Sarah…and his gut, like always, was right.

"Who is that guy?"

_Shit._

~+NCIS+~

Sarah frowned in fear when Tim didn't know who Agent Gibbs was. If he couldn't remember that, what else was he forgetting? Before she could answer, Dr. Morris began asking Tim questions and checking his vitals while Sarah stood off in the corner, biting her lip nervously.

"Everything seems to be healing well, though the infection is a bit menacing. I'll start him on some stronger antibiotics and we'll see how it goes from there."

Sarah nodded and when she noticed Tim had fallen asleep, she moved closer to the doctor. "What about his memory loss? He doesn't even know who Agent Gibbs is anymore."

"That…is a bit more complicated; it's hard to explain how he got the memory loss, but it's most likely the combination of trauma and the infection. There isn't really any telling on how long his memory will be gone or whether there'd be some sort of trigger."

Sarah nodded hesitantly, still a bit shaken by the recent discovery. She really wished mom and dad were there with them; she tried multiple times to call them, but she knew that there was obviously no cell reception in the Rocky's- her parent's latest trip destination. Suddenly there was a loud beep from Dr. Morris' pocket.

"My apologies," he said as he pulled out his pager. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go attend to another patient; but if there are any questions or if anything happens, don't hesitate to call."

Sarah sniffed and watched the doctor leave. She, then, turned to look at her sleeping brother and sighed heavily. _Dammit, Tim, why do you have to make everything so complicated?_

~+NCIS+~

Gibbs walked towards the cafeteria wearily, thinking deeply about what just happened. McGee couldn't remember what happened and he didn't know who he was. Thankfully he knew Sarah so his memory wasn't all gone, but the kid had no recollection of his job at NCIS or his attack. This was not good.

"Boss?"

Gibbs broke out of his thoughts to see DiNozzo coming up to him with a frown on his face.

Tony watched Gibbs' facial expressions as the agent stepped into the cafeteria. He instantly knew that something was wrong and to make it worse, he knew Gibbs' had just come from McGee's room. Putting two and two together was not good.

"Boss, what's wrong? Did something happen?" He really wanted to go see if his friend was alright, but he knew that no one- but Sarah- was allowed.

Gibbs just looked at him and Tony returned the look before bolting down the hallway towards Tim's room. He hated when Gibbs' did that; something bad would happen to someone and he'd expect anyone who saw the telltale look on his face to know that something bad had happened. Just as he was about to burst inside, Sarah came out and blocked him before shutting the door behind her.

"You can't go in there," she whispered, not looking at the older man.

"Why not? What's wrong?"

Sarah remained silent looked Tony in the eye with that look on her face…just like Gibbs.

"Sarah."

"Nothing…he's just sleeping; nothing to worry about."

"Sarah," he warned.

"Fine…there's really no point of going in there, because…he's…he's not going to remember you."

Tony's blood went cold.

"What?"

"He lost his memory, Tony."

_Son of a bitch, Tim. That dog's death warrant was getting closer and closer…and possibly Abby's. He wouldn't be the one to kill the Goth, but he couldn't guarantee Sarah or Ziva would hold back._

~+NCIS+~

Abby sat curled on her couch, hugging a pillow and tears running down her mascara streaked face. This was her fault. No, she didn't tell the dog to attack Timmy, but it was her fault everyone was pissed with her. It was her fault her face was stinging from where she was slapped twice in five minutes. Why was she so self-absorbed? Why did she ever defend that monster? It nearly ripped her Timmy apart and all she cared about at the time was the dog and its wound. Now that she thought back to that moment, she scoffed and shook her head. Sarah was right; she was a bitch.

Sniffing, she wiped her face and laid her head down on the armrest to think about the many times she abused her colleague, her _best_ friend. What was wrong with her? _Best_ friend? Yeah, some friend she had been. All the times she left him behind in a concert, because she forgot to tell him she went home with friends. Or when she got a new boyfriend and bragged in his face about it; she could see the hurt in his eyes, but she was too much of a jerk to stop blabbing. The worst was when she'd scold him for no reason or take out her anger, for something completely stupid, on him. _I'm so sorry, Timmy._ She had to fix things…it'd take a lot of work and _a lot_ of re-earning trust, but she was going to fix it…no matter what.

_"All clear, Boss."_

_ "Back door is open."_

_ "Timmy this is your fault. I missed my concert, because you overslept."_

_ "Abby it wasn't my fault! I was feeling si-"_

_ "I don't care if you were puking up frogs, McGee. Black Sabbath was only going to be in town for three days and this was the last time they were playing. Now these tickets are useless…just like you, McGee! McGee! Tim, are you even listening to me? Tim, Tim!"_

"Tim! Can you hear me?"

McGee squeezed his eyes shut before blinking them open slowly. What the hell was happening to him? He looked to his right and saw his sister looking at him in concern. Why was she here? Wasn't she supposed to be in school? Being a senior in high school is a very important year. And why wasn't he in his class? Shit, he was going to be late!

"S-Sarah?"

"Tim, are you alright? We were just talking and you zoned out for a moment."

"Yeah…yeah I'm fine," Tim lied, brushing off the mysterious nightmare and rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Shouldn't you be in school? What happened anyways?"

Sarah frowned and then closed her eyes. "Tim, you're in the hospital. You were attacked by a dog."

"You're joking right?"

Sarah shook her head and Tim swallowed before looking at his hands.

"Tim, don't you dare ever scare me like that again or else."

McGee grimaced and looked at his sister. "That bad, huh?"

"We…I almost lost you."

Tim sighed and brought his baby sister into a tight embrace. "I'll never leave you; I promise." But then a light popped in his head. _We? Whose we? Mom and Dad didn't seem to be there unless they were in the cafeteria. But he didn't see their coats or things around, so something else was up._

McGee pulled away from Sarah and frowned at her suspiciously. "What do you mean _we_? Who else is there?"

Sarah bit her lip. _Crap._ She was hoping Tim wouldn't find out about his NCIS friends just yet…possibly not at all. She didn't want him going back with them; no matter how much they said they'd change or how much they apologized, it wouldn't change anything. She knew they'd be the same old people within two weeks if Tim went back.

"Sarah? Who else is here? Tell me what's going on."

**TBC**

** Hope that's a good place to stop :/ I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. I'll be writing it over the weekend and hopefully can get it up by weds. CURSE YOU SCHOOL! Hope you like this chapter, if not I apologize :( stay tuned! REVIEWS!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**I love my readers! :)**

Tony sat outside Tim's room with a blank expression on his face and his hands clasped together in front of him. _Tim lost his memory. Tim lost his memory. Tim lost his memory._ Sarah's words replayed in his head like a skipping record. It was just so hard to believe that it was true. What of he never got it back?

Suddenly he heard heels clicking on the tile floor, becoming louder as the person neared. He assumed it was just a nurse passing by, but when it stopped and a familiar scent entered his nose, he knew who it was. Looking up he found the Israeli standing next to him with a concerned look on her face.

"I heard what happened with Tim," she said sitting down.

"Yeah…it sucks."

"What if…what if he never gets his memory back?"

"McGoo's brain is big, Z," Tony said, trying to lighten up the mood and stay hopeful. "In a matter of days he'll be back to his normal geeky self…besides I'm pretty sure Gibbs wouldn't let him forget; he didn't give him permission."

"I thought when it was only when someone was dying that he did or did not give permission."

"This is an exception. Probie will get his memory back; I'm sure of it." _Hopefully._

~+NCIS+~

"Sarah, tell me please. What's going on?"

"Tim, can we just talk about this later? You really need to rest."

"No, what I _need_ is for you to tell me what the hell is going on or I'll never be able to sleep."

"Tim-"

"Sarah, _please._"

Sarah bit her lip and looked at her brother nervously. "Fine."

"Good; now who was that man that was just in here?"

"That man, his name is Agent Gibbs; he's your boss."

Tim scoffed a laugh and looked at his sister in disbelief. "My boss? I don't even have a job right now, you know because I'm in college."

Sarah sighed and took her brother's hand in hers. He looked at her with a frown on his face…something was wrong. "Tim you have a job, you finished MIT, you went to FLETC to train to be a federal officer. You lost your memory Tim."

"W-What year is it?" Tim said, his chest heaving.

"2008."

Tim's eyebrows shot up and his eyes went wide in shock. "What the hell happened to me?"

"All I know is that you were attacked by a dog…you…you nearly died, Timmy. Actually, from what Agent Gibbs told me, your heart stopped a couple times. You were in a coma for nearly three weeks."

Tim looked away from his sister and swallowed. "Oh my god," he choked out.

"You know what? I don't think I should be the one telling you all this anymore, Timmy," Sarah said as she got up to pace. "How about I get Agent Gibbs and he-"

"No! Not…not right…not…" he couldn't believe what he just heard. He had lost almost six years; he was fricken attacked by a dog! Why? It was too much to process; he couldn't breathe. Why couldn't he breathe?

"Tim? Tim, what's wrong?" Sarah asked as she frantically ran up to him.

"C-Can't breathe…n-neck hurts."

"Crap. Deep breaths, take deep breaths Tim; I'm gonna go-"

Suddenly, Tim's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed back on his pillows.

"Tim? Tim! Shit." She looked up to the monitors and sighed in relief. _At least he's still breathing._

~+NCIS+~

Consciousness seemed to come back to him slowly and he could hear the faint sound of an annoying beeping noise by his head. _Alarm? No it's a lot softer than that._ Curious, Tim opened his eyes groggily and he was welcomed to a dimly lit, white pristine room. Then it all came back to him. _Right, the hospital._ He expected his sister to be at his side, but she wasn't…which was weird. No matter how angry she'd be for him getting hurt, she would be with him as much as she could.

"She had to go back to class," a gruff voice spoke.

Tim gasped and looked to his right to see the man, Sarah had said to be his boss, sitting in a chair next to his nightstand.

Tim looked at the gray-haired man uneasily before speaking. "So…you're my boss?"

"Yep."

"For where?"

"NCIS. Naval Crimi-"

"A federal agency? God, my dad must hate me."

Gibbs frowned and Tim took this as a 'you better tell me or else' look.

"My dad always wanted me to follow in his footsteps, become a Navy Admiral like him. But he never understood; he never understood that I couldn't be on ships, because I'd get seasick so easily. He called me weak and pathetic saying that I was a McGee and I had to suck it up. Which is why I'm currently not talking to him; he hates me for turning my back on my calling. But…whatever."

Gibbs listened sadly; so he was pretty much the only father figure Tim had. Well, he'd treat Tim a hellova lot better than the elder McGee. He'd make sure of that.

"How did a dog attack me?"

Gibbs sighed. "Do you want me to tell you everything?"

"If it'll help get my memory back, then yes."

"Alright Tim…we had a warrant to search a petty officer's house…"

~+NCIS+~

Abby parked in the lot of the hospital. She knew this was a bad idea; Sarah was there as were the rest of the team…and they all hated her. They all wanted her away from Tim. But she had to do this. This was probably going to be the biggest apology in the history of apologies; the mother of all apologies. She had Ziva, Tony, Gibbs and, most of all, Tim to make amends with. Things would probably never be the same again with everyone, but maybe they'd at least talk to and laugh with her again. Maybe Gibbs would start bringing Caf-Pow's down to her again. Maybe they'd be a _family_ again. God, it'd be a long-shot, but she had to try; it was worth it. Taking a deep breath, she walked up the stairs and entered the large building.

~+NCIS+~

Gibbs pulled the covers over Tim's shoulders and smiled. The man had fallen asleep; no matter how hard he tried to keep his eyes open, Tim had drifted off while Gibbs was talking about how he got onto his team. He'd have to finish later…

The door squeaked open and Tony stepped in quietly. "Hey, boss."

…Or Tony could.

"How's he doing?"

"Just fell asleep."

"Have you…you know, told him anything yet?"

"How he was attacked and how he joined the team."

Tony chuckled a bit and glanced at his slumbering friend.

"I'm gonna go for coffee," Gibbs said, standing up and brushing past Tony for the door. He knew the younger man wanted time alone with the junior agent. They were practically brothers and Tony felt that he needed to protect his Probie. Tony smiled as Gibbs left the room. The man of few words. He moved over next to Tim and sat down in Gibbs' vacated chair. He watched McGee breath in and out slowly and it made him relax; Tim was alive, he was breathing. All the nightmares he's had of Tim dying were just that: nightmares.

When he saw Tim's eyes flicker, he got excited and leaned forward in his chair.

"Tim?"

The younger man opened his eyes and looked over at Tony tiredly, yet confusion was instantly on his features. "Do I know you?"

"Yeah, uh, I'm Tony DiNozzo; I'm your colleague." He wasn't going to tell him about them practically being brothers, because that might confuse and weird out the kid.

Tim nodded hesitantly and they sat in awkward silence for a few minutes.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I accidently kicked a hot blonde in the face?"

Tim's eyebrows rose in curiosity. "Possibly; I lost my memory, remember?"

"Right…Well, this one night, Cassie- her name was Cassie by the way,"

Tim's face broke out into a small grin. This must've been the jokester Agent Gibbs was talking about earlier.

"She was the most smokin' hot girl in the bar and she was, weirdly, sitting alone in a booth, so I made my move and went to go hit on her."

"A regular Casanova," Tim chuckled.

Tony laughed and his grin grew wide. Tim still had that sense of humor in him…that was good. Maybe this was just what the kid needed- what the both of them needed. Maybe he'd be the one to get Tim's memory back on track.

"Thanks Pr- Tim…anyways we started kissing…"

~+NCIS+~

Five minutes later found McGee and DiNozzo laughing and joking around like old friends…well, because they were. Tim just didn't really know that. But Tony couldn't be happier; he was getting his best friend back.

~+NCIS+~

She was on the lookout for Sarah or Ziva…mostly Sarah, because she was now scared of the little woman. And if she saw her, Sarah would chase her out of the hospital like an animal. Also, no doubt, Tim's little sister had banned her from visiting so now she had to watch out for nurses as well.

Miraculously, she made it past five nurses and a doctor. Ziva, who was sitting in the cafeteria, hadn't noticed her either when she passed…which was a good thing. Though she had to apologize to her as well, right now Timmy needed the utmost attention and sincere apology there ever would be. She also didn't want to get thrown out before she saw McGee. If it came to that afterwards, she wouldn't mind, just as long as she got to Tim. Finally, she reached the door, which was closed, and took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._

~+NCIS+~

Tony wiped his watery eyes after laughing at his own story with McGee. Actually, Tim had made a joke, a really funny one at that, and it nearly killed him; he never knew the man could be so funny. Just as he was going to make a comeback, they were interrupted by the door opening causing both men to quiet and look at the entrance. Who they saw created completely different reactions from the two. Tony's anger flared up and he clenched his jar, his hands balling into fists by his sides.

McGee, on the other hand, his eyes went wide and his breathing caught in his throat. There was something about the woman standing at the door that struck him. He frowned and looked down at his hands trying to remember. His head suddenly began to hurt and images flashed through his mind.

_"Who's that?"_

_ "Abby Scuito; don't worry, she's not your type."_

_ "How do you know what my type is?"_

_ "Trust me, she not."_

_ "You're Thom E. Gemcity right? I'm Landon."_

_ "I miss you Kate."_

_ "I shot a cop."_

_ "The first time I shot someone I pissed my pants."_

_ "I think I killed someone Tim."_

_ "Does it really matter who killed Benedict?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ "All Clear!"_

_ "Clear!"_

_ "Yes, Boss."_

_ "On it, Boss."_

_ Thwack!_

_ Thwack!_

_ "Sorry, Boss."_

_ "Shutting up, Boss."_

_ "I love you Abby."_

_ "I'm sorry Tim; I don't want to be with you anymore."_

_ "Tim, do this for me."_

_ "This is your fault, Tim."_

_ "Bring me to this concert."_

_ "I hate you Tim; you made me miss the concert."_

"Tim? Tim, are you alright?" He heard Tony say.

He looked up, the frown still present on his features and he glanced from Tony to Abby. What happened? What was going on? Why was he in a hospital bed?

"Tony? A-Abby?"

**TBC**

** Woo! Finally, that chapter is done after writing it for like a week. Sorry it took so long. Hope you liked it! REVIEWS!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**As much as I always want to update the chapters ASAP, I never do. Stupid school! Why can't writing Fanfiction be a job or, even better, a class in school? Where you can read, write, and review fanfictions for 1 ½. I would absolutely LOVE that! Anyways, on to the story!**

"Tim? You…you remember us?" Tony said, completely surprised.

"Of course I do, why wouldn't I? What's going on?"

Tony was about to speak when a shrill voice broke through the confusion.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?"

Abby turned around, startled, to find Sarah McGee standing behind her. A very angry Sarah McGee.

"Sarah?!" Tim asked, feeling extremely lost. He started hyperventilating and his head began pounding. "What the hell is going on?" He whispered.

All of a sudden someone whistled sharply, causing everyone to look up and silent.

"Alright, everybody out! Yelled Dr. Morris. "Out of the room, before I ban you from seeing Mr. McGee. You're stressing him out and that's the last thing he needs."

Reluctantly, the three filed out of the room, leaving the doctor to assess Tim. Once the door shut, Sarah turned angrily to Abby, disgust visible on her face.

"I thought I said you were no longer welcome here? I clearly remember slapping you across the face and telling you to leave and never come back," Sarah sneered.

"I-" Abby began.

"It's clear that you don't understand the words 'get out.' I don't want you here, Agent Gibbs, DiNozzo, and David don't want you and Tim _definitely_ doesn't want you here."

"You don't know that!" Abby blurted out heatedly. "For all we know that's a lie; he probably wants to see me."

"Well _I _know that you hurt my big brother perhaps too many times to count; he's had enough of that before he even met you and now that he _has _met you, everything has just gone from bad to worse."

"Timmy will forgive me; he always does."

That's when Tony chuckled humorlessly and shook his head in annoyance. "Is that what you think? You screw up so bad and you expect to be forgiven just like that? Well, if you do, you are sadly mistaken. I know putting Tim in the hospital wasn't your doing, but you didn't care until he was an inch away from death. How could you not care about your best-friend? The "friend" you play all the time and he never does anything about it. You know why? Cause he doesn't want to hurt your feelings or have you run crying to Gibbs like a three year old and then get him in trouble for speaking the truth. But I guess it's not all your fault, because _we_ never did anything about it either. We let Tim down, but that's never gonna happen again. For you? Well, I don't even think you'll get a second chance to make that promise. I think it's time for everyone to change…for _you_ to change."

"Tony…" Abby whispered, not believing that the Tony DiNozzo would ever talk to her like that or say things like that to her.

DiNozzo just scoffed and left the area, not wanting to be subjected to Abby's doe eyes. He needed to clear his head.

"You…you don't know what Tim wants. Let me…I want to speak to him…please."

Sarah hesitated for a moment and then thought: hearing that she wasn't forgiven from Tim might set her straight. "Whatever. Just make it quick or I'm calling security."

Abby nodded quickly and they waited silently until the doctor said Tim was all set. His memory was back, but his fever was still a bit high and an infection was still possible. Abby wondered, though, if Tim getting his memory back was a good or bad thing. She stepped into the room slowly while Sarah slid in behind her, observing what was going to happen.

"Timmy?"

McGee's eyes flickered open and he looked straight into Abby's eyes. "Abby…hey."

"I just…um…I wanted to apologize….for everything. Everything that I've done to you or said to you, it wasn't right and…I'm really, really sorry. I don't know why I act the way I do, I just…I'm so sorry Timmy. Can you forgive me?"

Tim sighed heavily; he couldn't remember what landed him in the hospital in the first place, but whatever it was it brought light to all those years of hurt brought on by Abby. Though, he didn't want to stay mad at her…did he?

"I guess I can…" Tim looked over to Sarah whose eyes were wide, saying 'no, Abby crossed the line this time. Don't you dare forgive her.' And suddenly he realized she was right; he was done. He crossed his arms loosely across his chest and inhaled.

"Actually, you know what? Everyone's right; you use me as your toy and I'm sick of it…it hurts. You have _no_ idea how much it hurts, Abby. I'm tired of giving you chances, I'm tired of taking the blame for the trouble you cause, and I'm tired of every single time you get a new boyfriend, you find it entertaining to rub it in my face. I just…I think you should leave. I don't know if I'm ready to forgive you."

Abby's bottom lip trembled and her hands were shaking, tears appearing in her big eyes. But she nodded anyways. "Alright Tim. If that's what you want, I'll go. I'm still very sorry, though."

"Yeah, yeah. Tim wants you to go, now go," Sarah said impatiently as she pushed Abby out of the room and shut the door in her pale, tear-streaked face. She took a deep breath and turned around to her brother.

"You sure told her off."

"Yeah? Well, I don't feel good about it."

"She deserved it, Tim. There are no excuses for the way she treats you."

Tim sighed and nodded. That rant had made him exhausted.

"I'm tired Sarah," he yawned.

"Get some sleep; I'll be here when you wake up."

Tim's eyes drooped and he fell into a soundless sleep. But all he could think about was: did he do the right thing?

**4 Days Later**

Tim had been relieved when he was finally released from the hospital…though he would admit, he'd miss those painkillers. Sarah drove him home and immediately he took some pills and went to bed. But he still couldn't get rid of that nagging feeling that what he said to Abby, about not forgiving her, was the wrong way to go. Sarah would keep telling him it wasn't but he had a different perspective of the whole situation.

Throughout the days he'd been out, the team had stopped by to visit…to talk. They knew they had some bonds to mend, trusts to earn back, and it wasn't going to take a bunch of apologies and a few talks for that to happen. Gibbs, though, thought it'd be better for them all to discuss things when Tim was 110 percent better. McGee had agreed, because he was never up for talking for long periods of time. That or he'd be asleep when one of them came. He had absolutely no energy anymore. Just a walk to the bathroom would exhaust him; he couldn't understand why, since his arm and neck were the only things affected, but possibly it was the pills. Well, whatever it was, he didn't really care; he just wanted to sleep.

~+NCIS+~

There was a knock at the door and Sarah placed the magazine she was reading, on the coffee table and slowly made her way to the door. Tim was still on sick leave for another week and she wanted to stay with him until she was positive he'd be able to take care of himself…because he never did. Currently, he was resting and she planned to have him stay that way for at least a couple of hours. He'd been tired and he'd just begun sporting a slight fever. Just what they needed; she prayed, though, that it wouldn't escalate.

Going to the door and not even bothering to look through the peephole, since she, as well, was exhausted to the bone, Sarah swung it open and instantly scowled.

"Seriously? Let me say this one last time, very slowly, so your incompetent brain can process it. Tim…does not…want…to…see…you!"

~+NCIS+~

Tim's groaned as he rolled onto his back. _Who the hell was shouting? Someone was about to get their face beat in if they didn't shut up._

_"But…I have to-"_

_ "The only thing you _have _to do is turn the hell around and leave!"_

His eyes flickered open and he sighed heavily. He recognized those voices: Sarah and Abby. He pushed himself from the bed so he up sitting up as he listened to the shouts coming from outside his bedroom. It wasn't a shock to hear this though; this was probably the fifth time Abby stopped by and tried to talk with him. Three out of those five times, Tim was up and when Sarah told the Goth to leave, he would just watch…and he wouldn't stop her. And every one of those three times, his and Abby's green eyes would lock, hers sad and hopeful, while his was filled with hurt and betrayal. He would shake his head and leave the room hastily, usually going into the study. He was never going to forgive her but now he was rethinking his decision.

_"If you don't leave in the next ten seconds, I'm filing a restraining order against you!"_

Tim exhaled and dragged his aching body out of the room.

_"That's-"_

"Sarah."

Both women brought their eyes to McGee and went silent.

"Tim, what are you doing? You need to be resting; sorry about the yelling, _Abby_ was just leaving."

"Actually…I'm willing to hear her out…not forgive her, yet, but listen."

Sarah looked at her older brother in complete disbelief, while Abby appeared stunned. Sarah scoffed and shook her head. "Fine. I'm gonna go grocery shopping, because clearly you don't know how to." Sarah grabbed her jacket, purse, and keys and faced Abby.

"You do anything to hurt my brother, you're dead." She, then, rudely pushed past the older woman and disappeared down the halls.

Tim smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that, she can be really protective…even when _I'm_ the older one."

Abby smiled weakly, tightly clutching the straps of her purse and looked at Tim nervously.

"Uhh…d-do you want something to drink? Coffee. Water. Beer?"

"Umm…coffee?"

Tim nodded and headed towards the kitchen, but then noticed Abby hadn't budged from the doorway.

"You can come in you know."

Abby nodded, stepping inside and shutting the door quietly. Nervously, she stepped into the apartment and sat down on the couch in the living room. She watched as Tim began to brew the coffee and she sank deeper into her pit of guilt. Tim's neck and arm wound looked inflamed and she wondered if he knew an infection might be coming. When she looked closer, she could see his hands shaking and a thin layer of sweat covering his pale face. Maybe she should wait until he was better to talk…but then he finished pouring the drink and it was too late to back out now. After handing Abby her mug, he sat down in the chair across from her. He desperately wanted coffee, but he knew it wouldn't be good for his stomach.

There were a few moments of silence before Abby spoke quietly.

"So…how are you feeling?" She was expecting to get a 'fine,' because that's how Tim was, but she wished he'd tell her the truth. She knew he wasn't feeling good and he was just too stubborn to admit it.

Tim shrugged with his good side and leaned back onto the cushions. "Okay, I guess…neck hurts, but considering the alternative…"

Abby nodded and looked down at her hands guiltily. Tim could've left them forever, had that stupid dog bit harder or more to the right. Why had she taken sides with that harmful beast? Well, she's had nearly a month to form a giant apology for her Timmy, and now was time to let it out. Abby wasn't there for forgiveness this time, though, because she knew she didn't deserve it. She just wanted Tim to know how terribly sorry she was and how guilty she felt…for everything. _Well, here goes nothing._

"Tim…I…I know I've said this before…a bunch of times…and I know no matter how many times I apologize, I know it'll never be enough to make up for the way I treated you. If it means anything, anything at all, I don't deserve your forgiveness…I deserve to be hated…by everyone. I've been the worst person-friend- on the entire world…in the entire universe, actually. What I've done to you…what I've said, there's no excuse for any of it."

"Why Abby?" Tim whispered sadly. "Why did you do it? All I've ever done is protect you, cover for you, love you and care for you, but all I've gotten in return is rejection and pain and anger. What did I ever do to deserve that?"

"Nothing, Timmy, you did nothing. I don't know why I act the way I do…I just…it's my nature. But you've done nothing at all to deserve all the things I did to you…all the pain I caused you. If I could take it all back, I would; if I could take your place in front of that monstrous beast, I would."

"Abby-"

"No, Tim. You didn't need that. And that stupid dog, I'm gonna-"

"No, Abby…"

Abby looked at Tim and gasped. His face was extremely pale and his green eyes were bright and glassy.

"Timmy? What's wrong?"

"I don't…" McGee pushed himself from the chair and stood on two shaky legs. Almost immediately he doubled over and puked out the contents of his stomach. He felt strangely cold, yet he was sweating profusely; his whole body was trembling violently and his vision was tunneling, sound gradually fading away.

"Tim! Tim, can you hear me?" A voice echoed in his head, but he couldn't quite pin who it was. And just as he felt himself falling, darkness overcame him and that was the last thing he knew.

~+NCIS+~

Abby quickly leapt to her feet to catch McGee before he face planted into his own vomit. She gently laid him down onto his back and looked him over. He was still breathing, thankfully, but it was labored. His eyes were closed and his skin was burning to the touch.

"Oh god, Tim? Tim, please wake up! Tim!"

**TBC**

** Hoping that everyone is still reading this story; 2-4 more chapters left! REVIEWS!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Is everyone still there? Hope so :) Enjoy!**

"Tim? Timmy, please wake-"

"What the hell! What the hell did you do to my brother? I swear I'm gonna rip you to fucking shreds!"

"Sarah, stop! He- he passed out. I don't know what happened but I was talking to him and he just puked and keeled over. I really-"

"He was probably sick of your bullshit," Sarah sneered.

Abby frowned as Sarah pushed her out of the way to try and rouse her older brother. When nothing worked, she turned to the Goth and for once she didn't look angry…she looked scared.

"W-What do we do? This is your mess, what do we do?"

"U-umm, I'll call Ducky," Abby whispered, digging out her cell and pressing the speed dial for the M.E.

_"Hello?"_

"Ducky," Abby said hesitantly.

_"Abigail, my dear. What brings you to call so late? It's almost 2100. Are you alright?"_

"It's Timmy. He passed out and he won't wake up! Please, come help him!"

_"Oh dear; Abby I need you to keep calm and I'll be there as quick as I can. Is there anybody else with you?"_

"Umm, just his sister."

_"Well, the two of you get Timothy comfortable and I'll be there soon."_

Abby nodded, but remembered she was on the phone and she cleared her throat. "Okay, thanks Ducky."

Abby hung up and took a deep breath as she turned back to Tim and his sister. She had her brother's head in her lap and was now stroking his temple…just like she used to do. It made her jealous, but Sarah was Tim's sister and she couldn't do anything about it…especially when she was hated dearly by her.

"Umm, Ducky said to move him to his bed or something to make him comfortable and that he'll be right over."

Sarah didn't reply, but she sighed and stood up. She glared at Abby and looked at her expectedly. "Well? Aren't you gonna help me?"

"Oh."

Abby and Sarah bent down- Abby grabbing Tim's legs and Sarah weaving her hands underneath his arms. Within a minute, Tim was comfortably resting on the couch while Sarah and Abby sat apart from each other, waiting for the doctor to show up.

'This is your fault," Sarah growled. "You just had to come and tell him your bullshit apologies. He would be sleeping safely in his bed if you hadn't shown up."

"I told Timmy the truth."

"I swear to god if you call him that one more time-"

_Knock, Knock, Knock._

Abby shot up and rushed to the door, afraid that Sarah would do something drastic to her.

"Hey Ducky," she said quietly as she let the older man by.

"Abigail, how are you doing?"

"Okay," she shrugged. But the truth was, she felt like crap. What if Sarah was right? What if Tim was sick, because he didn't believe that she was truly sorry? God, these couple of months was just getting worse and worse.

"Oh dear," Ducky inhaled sharply when he got a look at Tim himself. The poor lad was as white as a sheet, his breathing was irregular and scratchy, and when he placed a hand on Tim's forehead, he snatched in back as the heat radiating off the man nearly burned him.

"How long has he been like this?" Ducky asked, not looking away from the young NCIS agent.

"Not long," Sarah began. "He was fine until _she_ got here."

Ducky pursed his lips as he glanced up at Abby who was looking down at her feet. He took out a thermometer and placed it in Tim's slack mouth.

"Oh, this is not good."

"What? What does it say?" Sarah asked nervously.

"103.4; must be an infection, though the doctors should've kept a better eye on it…skin around the wounds is inflamed. Yes, definitely an infection. Sarah, can you go see if your brother has any rubbing alcohol?"

The younger McGee nodded and left for the bathroom. Abby watched silently as Ducky assessed Tim. She noticed every grimace and heard every grunt of disapproval. Tim was really sick and it was all because she had to come and talk to him. Maybe if she had just waited another day or so, the older man would be sleeping the infection away.

"Dr. Mallard, I couldn't find any…what are you gonna do now?"

"I think it would be best if I took him to my place. I have all the supplies to clean this infection and I would like to keep an eye on him…if that is alright with you, my dear?"

Sarah looked relieved. "Could you? That would be a huge help; I love my brother to death, but I kinda need to be getting back to my classes."

"Then it is set. Why don't you pack a bag for him and we'll get him ready to go."

Sarah smiled weakly and nodded before she disappeared in McGee's bedroom.

"Now to try and wake young Timothy up." Ducky gently began shaking Tim's shoulder and calling his name. After a couple minutes, McGee's eyes began to flicker open, followed by a hoarse groan.

"Timothy? Can you hear me?"

"D-Ducky?" Tim looked around the room and remembered where he was. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm afraid that you have an infection, Timothy and we have nothing at your apartment to clean it. I'm taking you to my house so I can tend to those wounds."

"Ducky, I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about; I just need rest."

"Tim, stop being so stubborn," Sarah huffed, plopping his bag for Ducky's on the catch. She knelt down next to her brother and stroked his hair.

"I need Ducky to watch you, Tim. I don't want you to get so sick that you can't get the help you need. Please just go with him alright?"

"Okay." With that, Tim's eyes seemed to droop, exhaustion taking over.

"But Timothy, we need you to stay awake until we get you to the car. My old body and two women won't be able to lift a full grown man that far."

Tim forced his eye back open. "Okay."

In the next half hour, Tim was sleeping peacefully, with the help of drugs, in Ducky's spare bedroom. The pain lines were gone, the fever was slowly receding and now that the wound was clean, Ducky was positive Tim's health would start to improve. Now to call Jethro.

~+NCIS+~

Gibbs huffed an annoyed sigh as his cell phone started spazzing on his work bench. Looking at his watch, he wondered who could be calling at quarter to midnight…but when he saw Ducky's name on the caller I.D, he knew something was wrong.

"Gibbs."

"Ah, Jethro, I thought you might still be up. I just wanted to inform you that Timothy is with me."

"Why what happened?"

"It seems that his wounds were not properly tended to and has obtained an infection. His fever was almost 40 degrees Celsius- or 104 degrees Fahrenheit as you would put it. I've tended to him and his temperature should be back to normal in the morning and as of right now he is sleeping peacefully."

Gibbs sighed in relief as he wiped a hand down his face…but he the thing he really wanted to do was talk to the man. Their team had really screwed things up with the Tim and he wouldn't blame him if he wanted to leave for good. But he didn't want him to; McGee was the best agent he's seen since Tony and he didn't want to lose that.

"Is it alright if I come to check on him?"

"I assume you want to speak with him?"

"Yeah, but not until he's up and feeling better."

"By all means, be my guest. The door will be open."

"Thanks Duck."

"You are most welcome, Jethro. I will see you soon."

Gibbs closed his phone and trotted up the stairs, towards the front door. Grabbing his truck keys and a jacket, he looked towards the couch to where DiNozzo had crashed. They had a talk as well, because the man was worried about Tim and if things would ever be the same again. Between both the two men and the team. Smiling sadly, he opened the door and left for Ducky's place. As he drove, he thought about the talk he had with the Senior Agent earlier.

**3 Hours earlier**

_Gibbs heard someone coming down the stairs and he knew- since the man came by a lot- by the sound of the footsteps, that it could only be DiNozzo. He didn't even have to look up when he felt the younger agent's presence._

_ "Tony."_

_ "Ha, how'd you know it was me, Boss? You didn't even look up. What am I thinking, you're Gibbs."_

_ The older man smiled as he turned to his work table and pulled out a bottle of bourbon, pouring two small shot glasses. Tony moved in closer and Gibbs handed him a glass._

_ "Thanks," Tony said before downing the liquid in one gulp._

_ "Something on your mind?" Gibbs said, gesturing his agent to sit on his work bench._

_ "No, why would you think that? Why can't I just come here to have I drink with my favorite Boss?"_

_ Gibbs raised an eyebrow, never taking his piercing blue eyes off Tony. Tony's smile faltered and he looked down at his empty cup. "Yeah…I've been thinking a lot about things since I left the hospital a week ago. I feel guilty; I'm supposed to have Probie's back and I didn't. And worst of all, the last week Tim was in the hospital, I never once went to see him."_

_ "And why's that?" Gibbs grunted, taking a sip of his drink._

_ "I don't know, I just…I just thought he would want nothing to do with me. I mean I make fun of him every day and I never once thought what things were going through the guy's head. And then the things his sister said- about him being bullied and all- I bet that Tim sees me as one of those bullies. God, how could I be so stupid?"_

_ "Why do you do it?"_

_ "To be honest? I have no clue…it's just my nature I guess."_

_ "Hmm."_

_ "Do you think things will go back to the way they were, Boss?"_

_ Gibbs thought for a moment before speaking._

_ "I don't know, Tony. I don't know."_

**TBC**

** Kind of a slow chapter, but at least I got one up. Hope you liked it, and all mistakes. Hey, let's see if we can get the reviews to 200 and I'll love you all forever! It'll be my first…just like my first date is this Saturday! Anyways, REVIEW!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Sorry for the long wait, something was up with my computer and I didn't want to use until it was checked in case it would destroy my computer, I really couldn't bear to see that happen. Anyways, here's the next chapter and I think there'll be one or two more after this. Hope you like it! :)**

Tim slowly opened his eyes, meeting darkness and a huge white ceiling. At first he thought hospital, but then his memory came back to him. He remembered, vaguely, Ducky's face, his sister's yells, and Abby's apology. Shivering, he thought about everything that had happened. From the dog attack and even before that…Abby's behavior. How she mistreated him. It hurt. It hurt even more when Gibbs cared more about everyone else but him. He just felt like he wasn't part of the family anymore…what was he talking about anymore? He _never_ felt like he was part of the family. Swallowing his tears, he wondered what his place was on the team. The geek, the punching bag, the servant? It was probably all those and more. When he first met Team Gibbs, he thought they were just hazing him because he was a newbie…boy, he was wrong. Maybe it was time to think about moving on; maybe Sarah was right. Maybe…

_"Is he up?"_

Gibbs? What was he doing here? Probably to drag his ass out of bed and force him to work. Typical.

_"I can't really say, Jethro. I've checked on him twice within the hour since his silence is unnerving. He hasn't made one sound, not even a cough."_

_ "What kinda drugs do you have him on, Duck?"_

_ "Strong ones, I can assure you. The infection was bad and I could tell he was in immense pain."_

That's why he felt so detached. He strained to listen, holding his breath and wondering what was going to happen.

_"When?"_

_ "Will he wake up? It depends on him, Jethro. It takes time to heal; you can go sit with him if you'd like. Just don't wake him up, he needs his rest."_

No, no, no. Don't let him in here Ducky.

The footsteps got closer and Tim knew that, even as tired as he was, he wasn't going to magically fall asleep before Gibbs came. There was only one thing to do. He turned onto his side, _away_ from the chair where he assumed Gibbs would be sitting, evened his breathing out and closed his eyes. Just hopefully Gibbs would buy it.

The door squeaked open and he felt a presence behind him. It felt unsettling, knowing Gibbs was inches away staring holes into your back…but he had to keep himself calm or he'd be forced to whatever the hell Gibbs wanted him to do with a case or computers.

"Tim, I know you're not sleeping," Gibbs finally said.

Tim could hear the smile in his voice and it annoyed him. So what if he was faking? He really didn't want to talk. Maybe if he just ignored the older man, he'd leave.

"If you don't want to talk, that's fine. I just need you to listen."

McGee opened an eye and waited in silence.

"Tim, I'm saying this now; you _are_ part of this team, you're part of this _family._ But I know none of us ever show it and I understand why you feel the way you do. We- I haven't treated you like the son you are to me and I want you to know that it never meant to come out that way. And Abby, god that woman, she's a handful and I just want you to know that I'm gonna deal with her…and Tony. I know that they both use or abuse you and you don't need that. I don't know why I don't stop either of them, but when things happen, like Tony hazing you; you need to come to me. I know I haven't been there for you, but I will now. We almost lost you, and I never realized how much of an asset you are to the team and to the family."

A few tears made it past Tim's eyelids as he heard this. That was the most he heard Gibbs say in one setting. And this was an apology…in Gibbs form. And he guessed this is as close as it was gonna get to an 'I'm sorry.' He had no idea what to do. Should he just ignore him or let him know he'd forgive him…when he saw Gibbs was true to his word that is. Before he could make up his mind, he felt a hand on his arm, making his heart leap a bit. Gibbs squeezed it gently before sighing and brushing Tim's hair back.

"Get some rest, son."

He listened to his boss' steps fade away before flipping over to his back and looking at the slightly open door in which Gibbs just exited. Sitting up, he wiped a hand down his face and thought about what his boss just said. What was he gonna do? Well, he was too tired to dwell any longer on the subject. Lying back down, Tim closed his eyes, Gibbs' apologies and the past events swirling in his head.

~+NCIS+~

Abby paced in her living room after Ducky had dropped her off at her apartment. She was so worried about Tim; he looked so pale and sick and that dog had been the cause of it. How could she think that thing was so innocent? How could she blame Timmy for purposely shooting him? She needed to make things right…and she knew just how to do it. Digging out her phone from her purse, she dialed a number, biting her lip and waiting for the person to answer. She hoped this would work.

~+NCIS+~

Ziva slowly got out of her car and walked up to Ducky's Victorian house. She wanted to see Tim; she felt like she had wronged him in some way. How could she laugh along with Tony's hurtful antics? How could she not stand up for him when Gibbs accused him or yelled at him? He had been so nice to her when no one else had and how had she repaid him? Sighing heavily, she knocked on the door and waited for it to open.

"Ziva?"

"Gibbs? What are you doing here?"

The silver-haired man gestured her inside. She nodded and stepped in the warm, dimly lit house. It wasn't the first time she had been in Ducky's house, but she couldn't help feel like a stranger and alone.

"Something on your mind, Zeever?"

The Israeli turned around and looked at the older man. She didn't feel like spilling her emotions to Gibbs; and don't get her wrong, he was like a father to her, but…this type of situation, she didn't feel like talking about it. Not with him anyways.

"Where is Tim?"

"Ah, Ziva my dear, I was just about to call you," Ducky said, coming into the entry way.

Frowning, she looked at the doctor with her eyebrows raised. "Why?"

"Well, I'm getting a dinner together; I think we all need to start over don't you? And Timothy is in the room down the hall if you wish to sit with him, Ziva."

Nodding curtly, Ziva made towards the room where her kind, sweet brother was in. When she disappeared, Ducky sighed.

"Jethro, can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Sure Duck…so what's this about a dinner?"

"Abigail called me…"

Gibbs inhaled unnoticeably and wondered what the Goth wanted now. He was still a bit pissed with the woman for the way she had acted, but his anger was slowly dissipating.

"And?"

"And she wants to get together…with all of us. I think she has something to say. And I think it is a good idea. This whole nightmare had torn all of us apart and I think we need to make good. What do you say?"

Gibbs thought for a moment. Duck was right; since all of this happened, the team began to fall apart. Yes, it had brought some serious issues to light, but Tony joked less, Ziva was more quiet, and Abby…well, it was pretty obvious what was up with her. Maybe getting together would help bring everyone back to the way it was...but better.

"Alright. I'll go get DiNozzo."

"Excellent; see you soon." Ducky watched as Gibbs quietly stepped out of the house. It was a great idea of Abigail's, but would it work?

~+NCIS+~

Ziva stood at the end of Tim's bed silently, watching him sleep and watching him breathe. It soothed her, knowing that he was alive. She had a few nightmares earlier- which caused her to come to Ducky's in the first place- that really disturbed her. Tim dying, Tim leaving, Tim never forgiving any of them. When she felt like he wasn't going to disappear from her sight, Ziva slowly made her way to a vacant chair and pulled it closer to the bed. She looked at Tim's face sadly, seeing the slightly pained expression. It was a bit pale as well, but given the alternatives, she would rather have sick Tim than a dead Tim. She reached out carefully and began stroking his hair gently.

"I am so sorry, McGee. None of this should have happened. I have not been a good friend to you and I can understand if you hate me. I just…want to apologize for how unfairly I have treated you. You have been such a great friend to me, but in return I have done nothing."

"Not true, Z."

"Tim?"

McGee cracked open his eyes and looked at the younger woman with a faint smile on his features.

"How are you feeling?"

"Eh..." Tim shrugged, trying to sit up.

"No, don't move, McGee. Ducky says you need to lie down; apparently you have ripped your stitches out."

"Ziva, I don't blame you for anything," ignoring the woman and leaning against the headboard. He was a bit out of breath, but he needed to get through to the woman.

"You should. I have not been there for you."

"You are now."

"It is too late; I have ruined the relationship I have with you."

"Ziva, stop. It's not your fault; there was nothing you could've done. Not with the dog, not with Abby, nothing. I promise you."

"What about all those times I stood by DiNozzo when he made fun of you? McGee, I have not been a very good friend to you."

Tim sighed as he took Ziva's hand. This team, this _family_ has fallen apart and he wished things would go back to normal. He wished that he had his dysfunctional family back again.

"Ziva, you're like a sister to me, and I hate to see you hold this much guilt on your shoulders. We've all had our faults and I wish…I wish that there was some way to make this all go away."

"Me too, McGee."

Tim leaned forward and embraced the woman with a gentle hug. He has missed this…a lot. There were times that hurt him and made him feel useless, but at times like this, when they were really a family, it reminded him why he was still on the team…why he hadn't quit.

"I am sorry this happened, Tim."

"It's alright, Z. We'll get through this." _I hope._

** Sorry if this seemed a bit slow again or short, but I promise the next chapter will be better. The team will make up and something will happen that will make Tim test Gibbs' word. Hope you keep reading. REVIEWS!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Hope you like this chapter! One more to go after this! :)**

Ziva was rubbing Tim's arm continuously when someone knocked on the door. The younger agent had fallen asleep a while ago after they had a long conversation. She hadn't felt like leaving him so she had gotten comfortable in the chair and calmed _herself_ by making sure McGee didn't get distressed by anything. She opened her eyes and tensed out of reflect until she saw Gibbs' silver hair in the doorway. Not wanting to wake McGee, she stood up and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Gibbs."

"How is he?"

Ziva sighed. "He's struggling."

"I don't doubt that," Gibbs stated tiredly. "He's been through hell."

"What are we gonna do?"

"Talk. Everyone including Tim. We're gonna talk about this."

"When?"

"In an hour or two; when Ducky finishes making dinner and Abby-"

"Abby? Gibbs, Tim needs to remain relaxed, yes? We can't have her over here, working him out!"

Gibbs smirked faintly. "It's 'working him up' and we need _everyone_ to make things right," he finished sternly.

Huffing in disbelief, Ziva turned on her heels and back into Tim's room. She couldn't believe this! She didn't think she'd be able to forgive that selfish woman…she didn't think she'd be able to control herself from attacking Abby, either. Taking a deep breath, she calmly sat back down and resumed stroking Tim's arm. She knew Gibbs was gonna side with the Goth; she was his favorite after all. And the more she thought about Abby and Gibbs' favoritism of her, the angrier she got and she didn't want that radiating onto Tim who was supposed to be healing. Standing back up, Ziva kissed him on the forehead before removing herself from the room and going outside to get some air.

When she got to the front steps, she was surprised to see Tony sitting on the hood of the car, staring up at the sky. Something was twiddling in his fingers, so, frowning in curiosity, she quietly made her way over. As Ziva sat down next to the man, she noticed him jump, causing her to smile a little.

"Jesus Ziva! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry…what are you doing out- what is that? Where did you get that?"

DiNozzo looked down to his hands and shrugged like he could care less.

"Tony, you do not smoke, so why do you have a cigarette in your hand?" Ziva said heatedly.

"Don't know. Everything that's happened…it's really getting to me, you know? I feel like this could be the answer to everything."

"This may sound a bit cliché, but drugs are never the answer, Tony," Ziva said smacking the cigarette onto the ground and squishing it with the toe of her boot. "If you feel like this, you have people to talk to…you have _me_ to talk to. You are not alone in this."

"I know, Z," Tony sighed in dejection, wrapping his arm around the Israeli's waist and pulling her closer. "Thanks, by the way."

Ziva rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. "You are welcome."

After a couple minutes of serene silence, Tony sighed and turned to Ziva.

"Do you think… you could not tell Gibbs any of this?"

"Well, I cannot promise he will not find out on his own, but yes- I will keep this between the two of us."

"Thank you."

"It's getting a bit chilly out here, how about we go inside and see if Ducky is finished with the food."

"Sounds good to me, Z."

The two of them stood up and walked into the house, some- but not all- of the weight lifting off both of their chests. They just hoped they could get rid of the rest.

~+NCIS+~

Tony took a deep breath as he walked into the room where Ziva told him Tim was. He didn't know how, but she somehow knew he wanted to talk with his little brother…what was he talking about, Ziva has ninja senses, she knows everything! Leaving the door open a crack, he looked towards the bed and sighed. The kid was still sleeping which wasn't a surprise to him. Maybe he should come back later when he was up. _Come on DiNozzo, stop being a wuss! Tim would be here doing the same for you and he wouldn't be backing out._ Great, now he was having a war with his subconscious.

**What if he wants nothing to do with me?**

_You'll never know if you leave now. Just think, would it be better to talk to him alone or with the whole team at dinner?_

**That's true. But-**

_No buts, you sit your ass down and do what you do best._

**And that is?**

_Being a big brother._

**Ha! Yeah, something I've been **_**real**_** good at in the past month.**

_It's never too late to start over._

Tony wiped a hand down his face before going to sit down next to the slumbering man. And in the first time in years, he had no idea what to say. No movie to quote, no joke to make, nothing. It shocked him, actually, but this situation was no laughing matter. Still, joking was his way of coping; his way of blocking out the depressing and nightmarish images. So, putting his best mask on, he looked at his oblivious little brother.

"Okay buddy, rise and shine; I think you've been sleeping long enough, huh?"

Nothing.

Tony sighed, leaning forward in the chair and clasping his hands together. He blew out a loud gush of air and ran his hands through his spikes. He was feeling utterly exhausted and sort of wishing he still had that cigarette. Damn Ziva and her rational speeches. Placing his head in his hands, he closed his eyes and massaged his temples. It was only after a few minutes when he heard someone shifting in the bed. Tony's head shot up and found himself staring into confused, tired green eyes.

"Tim!" Tony exclaimed in shock.

"Tony?" Tim said groggily, pushing himself into a sitting position. "What are you doing here?"

"I…" Tony blushed and was almost lost for words. "I was gonna come and wake you up, McSleeping Beauty. You've been away in dreamland way too long."

Tim smiled weakly as he rubbed his sore eyes. They sat in awkward silence for a few moments before Tim knew something was up.

"Tony, why are you really here?"

The older man tried and failed to smile. He really didn't know how to put this; it wasn't his kind of thing. But this was Tim; this was his best friend and his brother and with having a sibling, you had to deal with the things that came along.

"Do you…do you consider me a bully?"

A look of sheer confusion washed over Tim's pale face. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Come on Tim, you know. And I know you probably see me as one of the many high school bullies you encountered."

Tim looked down at his hands and remained quiet.

Tony leaned closer and placed a brotherly hand on Tim's shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Tim's head snapped up, surprising the senior agent. "Why?" Tim said angrily. "Why do you think I never go to you for anything? Maybe because I _know_ you're gonna make some insensitive joke when I tell you something serious. I hate say it Tony, but you're not exactly the best guy that I'd go to and confide in."

That hit Tony like a blow to the gut. Tim didn't trust him; they were supposed to be _brothers_and Tim didn't feel like he could trust him. That hurt…a lot.

"Tim I would've stopped."

"Yeah, you say that now, but you wouldn't have been able to help yourself," Tim scoffed. "It's your nature, Tony; you wouldn't be you if you didn't make fun of me…but it hurts. Sometimes you cross the line. And the book? I thought that was over, but you keep bringing it up and you keep putting me down. Tony, what have I done to deserve all of this?"

The older agent looked Tim in the eyes and took a deep breath. Tim had done nothing to deserve what he had dumped on him. He didn't deserve Tim to trust him.

"McGee…you're right. I've done nothing but put you down and hurt you and make fun of you…and I've been the worst brother in the entire universe. And you're right, it's my nature to make fun of you, and I _do_ cross the line. It's just my way of showing you that I care about you. You're the little brother that I never had and sometimes I guess I don't know when to stop."

McGee looked at Tony intently, but with a sad look in his eyes. It looked like the man really meant it.

"And I know the thing about the book is getting old and I promise that I will stop. Tim you are my little brother and I know that I've been doing a piss-poor job at being your older one, but please….please forgive me. I'm sorry for everything, just…when you died all those days ago in the ambulance, it _killed_ me. I thought I was gonna lose you. I've already lost my mom, Kate, Jeanne and I couldn't afford to lose you. You're my family; this whole team is. And I'll understand if you never want to talk to me again, because frankly I don't deserve to have you as a friend anymore."

Tim swallowed thickly, feeling tears in the back of his eyes. Tony had considered him a brother. He used to feel like they were getting closer as brothers, but lately that feeling went away. With the book incident fueling Tony's anger, the jokes increased and got more hurtful. But now he saw the real side of the jokester; the brotherly caring side. The terrified side. The brave, DiNozzo mask was gone and all Tim could see was pain, fear, guilt, and sadness. He looked away, sighing heavily, while staring at the far wall and Tony took this as a sign to leave. That his brotherly relationship was destroyed. He blew it and he knew that he deserved it. _That's the consequences of being a bastard, DiNozzo._

"Alright, Tim, I understand. And if I can't tell you this again, I'm sorry I ever hurt you." The older man stood up, went to squeeze Tim on the shoulder, but decided against it and retracted his arm. Exhaling heavily, he the left the room, hesitating by the door before stepping out into the hallway. After checking to see if no one was around, he blew out a gust of wind and fell back against the wall, running a shaky hand through his hair. Tears pooled in his eyes as he tried to think of what was going happen next. It was over. Everything was over and it was all because of him. The team would never be able to carry on together.

"Oh god." Tony stood for a moment in shock before composing himself, putting a fake smile on his face and going to look for the rest of the team.

~+NCIS+~

Tim waited until he heard receding footsteps to look back towards the door. He sighed shakily and lay back on the pillows. He had no idea what to do and if he should forgive Tony, Gibbs, or even Abby. Ziva had felt completely guilty and even though she might have gotten a bit mad about the book and maybe almost killed him while she was driving recklessly when he was in the back, but she had expressed her apologies before all of this happened. They even went out to dinner and a movie. Tony, on the other hand, only apologized _after_ he got hurt…out of guilt. Gibbs was his own person and he still didn't know what to say about the man's apology. He was still shocked that he even _said_ sorry. And Abby…what was she supposed to do about her? She apologized and begged for his forgiveness, but he wasn't sure he should let her off that easy…like before. Every single time she wronged him, she was say she's sorry, but he could tell she never really meant it. So did she mean it this time?

McGee felt a few tears fall onto his cheek and his breathing was rapid and harsh. Why did this have to happen to him? Of all people, it had been him and now everything was falling to the ground. He turned onto his side and stared at the wall until he became tired. His eyes drooped close and he fell into an agitated sleep.

~+NCIS+~

"Timothy…Timothy, wake up."

McGee groaned as he felt a shaking sensation. Why was someone bothering him? He just wanted to zone out and be away from this world forever. He burrowed further into the pillows in hopes whoever was trying to wake him up would go away.

Ducky had quietly made his way into the guest room to find that Tim was still asleep. He knew something had happened between the Junior and Senior agent, because the older man looked like he wanted to puke. His face was pale and his eyes were red. Something drastic had occurred. Maybe it would all get cleared up at dinner; and that's exactly why he had come to wake the young man up. It was time to get this whole mess cleared up.

"Tim, wake up lad, it's time for supper."

"Five m're minutes," Tim mumbled.

Ducky smiled warmly as he pat the man's shoulder softly. "I'll hold you to that Timothy. I expect you at the dinner table within the next seven minutes."

"Mmhm."

Chuckling, Ducky stood up from the bed and left the room. He waddled back to the dinner table and sighed at the people who were anxiously looking at him.

"He'll be out soon."

~+NCIS+~

Tim's sat up slowly so he wouldn't jar his injuries. The meds were starting to wear off and pain was showing itself…quickly. Speaking of quickly, he needed to get to the kitchen before Ducky came back to rip him a new one. Groaning, he pushed himself off the bed, rubbed his eyes, pulled on some sweatpants and an MIT sweatshirt Sarah had packed him. He was freezing…and hungry, so he wanted to eat dinner and go back to the nice warm bed as soon as possible.

As he walked down the hall, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and yawned. Whatever drugs Ducky had given him made him so goddamn tired. As he got closer to the kitchen, the waft of food entered his nose. His stomach growled and he couldn't wait to eat. He couldn't even remember when he had a proper meal. All he's eaten- that was actually edible- were crackers, water, and jello; lots and lots of jello. Everything else at the hospital was nasty and he hoped he never had to eat that crap again.

"So, Ducky," Tim yawned again. "What's for-" when he looked up, his eyes went wide. There was food on the table, but that wasn't all. Sitting around that food covered table was his team. Gibbs, Ziva, Tony, Ducky, and…Abby.

The doctor stood up and went over to the shocked agent. "Nice of you to finally join us, lad," he smiled as he led Tim to a chair.

"What's going on?" He said in confusion. He sat down and glanced at his teammates nervously.

"Timothy," Ducky began, "It's time we all have a talk."

**TBC**

**Ooooh what's gonna happen now? Is Tim gonna forgive them? Is he gonna quit? Stay tuned to find out. One more chapter! REVIEWS! (all mistakes are mine)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**FYI: this is a long one :)**

Tim looked around at everybody with an incredulous look on his pale face. Were they seriously doing what he thought they were doing? He was starting to get fed up with most of them and it was strenuous…and he was done with it.

"Are you kidding me? You guys think ambushing me is gonna get to the bottom of this?" Tim stood up with energy he didn't even know he had. But he was pissed and his adrenaline was increasing. "Well if you do, you all are sadly mistaken."

"Timothy, please, just hear us all out."

McGee looked at Ducky with an annoyed stare before sitting back down in the chair.

"Fine…what is it that you want to say?"

"Abigail," Ducky nodded at the Goth

All eyes were on the silent Goth; when she had arrived, the only person that didn't shun her was Ducky…but she was hoping to change that…she was _going_ to change that. Taking a deep breath, Abby stood up and faced the team. _Here it goes…_starting with Ziva. She wringed her wrists nervously and began.

"Ziva, you can hate me all you want; I already hate myself for fifty people, but believe me when I say this: you're like a sister to me and I feel like I ruined that with you now. I was selfish and I lost your trust…I lost everyone's. And that's my own fault, because for once I'm taking full blame for this…all of it. It's just when I see an animal hurt-"

"Abby I do not care about the dog," Ziva said coldly, but had no heat behind the words.

"Right…anyways, I guess I just let the sight of the hurt dog cloud my judgment and my words, because I said something I'm going to regret for the rest of my life. This incident, it brought light to a lot of things that has gone wrong and it's probably too late to turn back to normal things. Nothing will ever be the same between any of us and it's my fault, but I don't care. I just want my family back…I want my brothers and sisters back."

Ziva sighed, the tension in her shoulders dissolving. "Abby, I-I do not think I am ready to forgive you…not yet anyways. Just…give it time."

Nodding, Abby's eyes moved to Tony. "Tony, your my big brother and I hate that all of this has torn us apart. Tim's like your brother and the way I treated him was not okay in your books…and I know that now."

"It'd never be okay, Abby…in anyone's book. You hurt Tim and me." _But he hurt Tim as well, so did that make him twice as bad?_

"I know and I just don't know what goes through my head when I do all those things. I'm a grown woman and I shouldn't be acting like a five-year old begging for attention. I've ruined a lot of things, I've betrayed a lot of people and if forgiving me is not in your books, than its understandable. I knew from the moment I found out Tim was hurt that what I said wouldn't be able to go away. It wouldn't be forgotten. And I also knew that things between the team will be different…working together may not be the best choice anymore."

Gibbs frowned. Something about that last sentence seemed wrong, but he decided to let Abby carry on and tell him herself.

"Tony, I'm truly sorry." She moved onto Gibbs, staring him straight in the eye. She was never afraid of the Gibbs' glare, but today she was getting a bit nervous. Now she knew what it felt to be on the receiving end of Gibbs' bad side…what it must've been like for Timmy.

"Gibbs…I know what you always say about sorry being a sign of weakness, but that's what I am…weak. If I have to rely on you, come complaining or crying to you all the time, then I admit that I'm weak. I've betrayed your trust and I took your favoritism for granted. I've abused the role of your surrogate daughter and as a good friend to everyone else. And since I know no one wants anything to do with me right now, I've requested to be suspended."

Everyone's eyebrows rose in shock, but none other than Gibbs. What was she saying?

"I'll be leaving in two days for three months. I just think it'd be better if I sort out my behavior before I start working at a federal agency again. Director seems to think so as well and she's been kind enough to give me three months instead of six."

With one last sad sigh, she turned to McGee who looked lost yet careless.

"Alright…Timmy- I mean Tim, I want to apologize to you for the way I've acted towards you since we broke up. I know I told you this earlier and I'll say it a million times more. There's no excuse for the way I treat you or put you down. I can't say I'm sorry enough and I'll understand if you never want to see or speak with me again. I'm the worst friend anyone could ever have and I hate myself for the way everything has turned out. And that dog…I can't believe I thought it was innocent and that I blamed you for shooting him-"

"You blamed me for shooting that monster?" He hadn't known this…but it'd be just like Abby to do so. "Abby, I was defending myself; if I didn't shoot him, I'd have ended up dead…apparently I was pretty close."

Abby shrunk in guilt. "I know that Tim, as soon as Ziva told me what happened, I immediately regretted what I said. I don't know what came over me when I said those horrible things, but I know that if I could take it back, I would."

Tim looked at her skeptically, but remained quiet.

"Tim, I'm really sorry for everything I put you through and I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me. If not…it'll be okay; I'll understand completely."

The room was quiet for twenty long awkward seconds; the expressions on Tim's face was mixed with anger, confusion, sadness, and maybe a little bit of pity. The youngest member of the team looked at everybody, not really knowing what to say…but he knew he couldn't figure it out with everybody staring at him expectantly…he just couldn't.

Ducky frowned. "Timothy-?"

McGee suddenly calmly placed his hands on the table, pushing the chair back. "Would you excuse me?" He said quietly, standing up and leaving the room.

Everyone looked at each other with pure confusion on their faces before jumping out of their chairs to follow their youngest. But then Gibbs shook his head, telling them to stand back and let him handle this. When he stepped into Tim's guest room, his eyebrows furrowed even more.

"Tim, what are you doing?"

Tim was packing all his things into his go-bag hastily, disregarding his injured arm. He ignored Gibbs as he pulled on his shoes and a jacket. He tried pushing past the older man, but Gibbs gently placed a hand on Tim's chest.

"Hey…where are you going?" He asked, his tone laced with concern.

The stress seemed to desert Tim's body, leaving him completely drained. He looked at Gibbs with sad eyes before sighing inwardly. He just shook his head and managed to squeeze by, oblivious to the rest of the team watching.

"Tim!"

McGee stopped, looking up to the ceiling before turning to Gibbs. "I…I can't forgive any of you guys…not right now. I just…I can't deal with this at the moment- it's too much."

"What?" Tony exclaimed in shock. His best friend was leaving?

"I'm going to go tell the Director that I'm leaving…I don't know for how long, but I just…" Tim shook his head and huffed. "I don't believe you guys can change right now…it's too soon." Tim looked at Ziva whose eyes were shining with tears. He went up to her and squeezed her hand.

"I'm sorry, Ziva. I'm sorry this all had to happen."

Then he turned to Ducky. "Ducky, thank you for everything; for your hospitality, for your care, just everything. You've done nothing but help."

"W-well, you are most welcome, lad." He was completely shocked with the turn of events and he couldn't believe Tim was just gonna leave…but then again, it was understandable.

Tim bobbed his head before looking at his boss. "I'm sorry, Gibbs."

The older man flinched; Tim rarely, if never, called him Gibbs to his face. It was always 'boss.' That was a sign of something grave. As Tim made for the door, he was stopped by Tony's voice.

"Tim, come on, be rational; how're you gonna get home?" He didn't want Tim to leave.

The younger man opened the door, a cold gust of air entering the warm house. He shrugged looking back at the group. "I'll call a taxi, I'll walk; I just can't be _here_ anymore. I'm sorry…goodbye." With that, Tim stepped out into the freezing cold air and began walking away.

"Wait!"

Tim turned to find Ducky bundled up in a coat, keys in hand. "I wouldn't be a good doctor or friend if I let you walk in this…especially since you are still sick. I'll drive you home."

Smiling sadly, Tim nodded. "Thanks, Ducky."

The two got in the car and drove off, leaving the four others behind with shock and confusion on their faces. What the hell just happened?

"Boss," Tony began, not taking his eyes off the spot where Tim disappeared. "What do we do?"

"We give him time."

~+NCIS+~

Ducky pulled up right by Tim's entrance to his apartment building. Putting the car in park, he sighed heavily.

"Timothy, are you sure about this?"

The young agent turned to the ME, staring at him with his piercing green eyes. Was he sure about this? Yes, he was, he needed some serious time away from this place.

"Yeah Ducky, I'm sure. I just need some time to think, that's all."

"Fair enough…where are you going to go?"

Tim shrugged. "Not sure yet…maybe I'll go visit my parents over in Ohio."

Tim opened the door and began to get out when Ducky stopped him again.

"Tim, promise me that you'll take care of yourself."

Tim smiled. Typical Ducky. "Yes Ducky, I will; don't worry."

"And that you'll contact me on how you are doing."

"I can't promise that, but I'll try…and tell Ziva that too."

"Alright, Timothy…farewell for now."

Tears welled up in Tim's eyes. This might be the last time he'd see the Scottish man for a while; he had no idea how long he'd be gone or when he'd be back…if he even decided to come back to work for Gibbs or NCIS altogether.

"Thanks Ducky." He waved slightly before shutting the door and heading into the building. From there, he turned around as Ducky drove off, disappearing out into the road. It was done; there was no turning back now.

Sighing in exhaustion, he went up to his apartment, got the spare key, that he luckily had, from the top of the doorframe and let himself inside. It had been so long since he'd been there and it felt sort of strange. Tim rubbed a hand down his face before drinking a glass of water and grabbing extra keys for his Porsche and heading back out. Now he had to talk to the Director; it was about 2100, so he figured she'd still be there… he really hoped she was, because if he had to come talk to her tomorrow, that'd mean he'd have to face the team. And he really didn't want to deal with that.

~+NCIS+~

"Agent McGee? What brings you here at this hour? And in your condition?"

"I…I need to talk to you about…"

"The team?"

Tim looked surprised. "Y-Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I'm the director, I know a lot of things. Take a seat, Tim."

McGee was even more surprised; the Director had never called him by his first name. But he nodded and sat down in the comfortable chair in front of her desk.

"How are you doing?" Jenny asked.

"I've been better," Tim sighed heavily, the pain in his arm starting to come back. Now he kind of wished he asked Ducky for some pain pills.

Jenny nodded as she stood up and walked around her desk to sit in the chair next to her agent. "So, the team…you want to quit?"

"Yes…I mean no…I don't know what I want to do. I just think…I think I need some time to get away, I need to think about some things before I question my status as an agent here."

"Understood. Take as long as you need."

"Really? You're not mad or disappointed?"

"Tim, you deserve it; I hate to say this about Gibbs and the team, but they need to wake up and see what an intellectual man you are. You're an asset to this agency and as much as I would hate to lose you, it's your decision and Team Gibbs' consequence. And I don't know if she told you, but Abby _requested _that she be suspended."

"Yeah…she did."

"I don't think she deserved two months; she would've gotten more, but as you can understand, she is one of the best Forensic Scientists here."

Tim nodded in agreement. As pissed as he was at the Goth, he had to admit she was pretty good at what she does. "Yeah, she's pretty good at her job."

"And so are you, Tim, so your talents shouldn't be taken for granted."

Tim blinked; he'd never thought the Director would say such a thing to him.

"Thanks ma'am."

"Please, it's Jenny," The Director smiled, placing a hand on McGee's and squeezing it gently. "Now, I will be having a talk with everyone on the team after you leave, especially Tony, and Jethro as well as Abby when she returns. They're gonna realize what they've lost, Tim, and will treasure your presence when you come back."

Tim gave her a look and she nodded in understanding. "Right…_if_ you decide to return."

Tim inhaled softly before nodding and standing up.

"I hope this won't be the last time I'm seeing you as an NCIS agent, Tim."

The younger man smiled awkwardly, not really knowing what to say to that. "Thank you Jenny and I'll be back to let you know my decision."

"Take your time; I'll just put you down for your vacation days…it looks like you have almost a year saved up."

"Wow," McGee said in utter shock.

Jenny smiled. "You're a very dedicated agent, Tim. Now go home, get some rest, and take care of yourself."

"Thanks again." With that, the two shook hands.

"Goodnight Tim."

"Night Jenny."

Tim walked out of the office feeling a weight lift off his chest; he felt so much better now that he got that over with. He grabbed a spare box from behind his desk and packed all his belongings inside. When he was finished, he looked around one last time before stepping into the elevator. Now he could finally relax without worrying about work or thinking about his team's betrayal. For once he could worry about himself.

~+NCIS+~

**7 Months Later**

Everything was so different without Tim; it was quiet. No jokes were passed, no heads were slapped and it was really depressing. No longer could they hear the speedy typing or incomprehensible words from their young genius. The team was now mending their relationship with Abby and even though things were getting _somewhat_ better, they all knew it'd never be the same…not without Tim.

They had been forced to get a new team member, named Carl Powers, which nobody liked no matter how hard he tried to impress them and get on Gibbs' good side. No one could replace Timothy McGee and they've realized what they'd lost…what they've taken for granted.

"Carl," Tony said through clenched teeth. Even talking to the guy made him pissed. He loathed the man that tried to step into Tim's shoes. He wanted his brother back.

"Yeah DiNozzo?" Carl said eagerly.

"Gibbs wants you to trace a call Petty Officer Johnson got a few nights ago; can you do that?"

"Of course I can, buddy and I bet I can do it ten times faster than that McGee kid."

Tony's head snapped up from his paperwork in anger. "What did you say?"

"You probably hate McGee, seeing as he ditched you guys. He was pathetic anyways, no one-"

He couldn't take this anymore. Tony shot out of his chair and ran over to Carl, punching him in the face and out of his chair.

"You fucking bastard," Tony shouted, punching Carl in the face brutally. "You take that back; I am not your 'buddy' and Tim is more of a man than you'll ever be!" He was so enraged that he didn't even notice people shouting his name.

"DiNozzo! Tony, stand down!" Gibbs yelled.

He and Ziva had come up from serving a warrant when they heard a commotion coming from the bullpen…and what they saw was unbelievable. Tony was over Carl, beating the shit out of him and blood flying everywhere. The two ran over, trying to pry the senior agent from the temp.

"DiNozzo stop! Stop it!" Gibbs shouted as he pushed a panting Tony back angrily.

"Go take a walk!" He growled. "Ziva, take Carl down to Ducky."

Carl was a blubbering mess; he was bleeding profusely, his nose was broken, his eyes were swollen and bruises were already starting to form. DiNozzo wiped his nose on his sleeve before heading to the bathroom. He was so pissed; how dare the little piece of shit talk about Tim that way. He punched the paper towel dispenser, slicing his already bleeding hand even more.

"Dammit!" He leaned over the sink, his breaths heaving and looked into the mirror. He looked like crap: his face was pale, his hair was disheveled and there were bags under his eyes. He hadn't gotten a full night's sleep in days, because he couldn't stop thinking about wishing to go back in time and change everything- to treat his Probie with more respect…but he didn't and it cost him a friend.

"I'm sorry, Tim; I'm so sorry."

~+NCIS+~

Gibbs sighed as he went down to the lab with a Caf-Pow in hand. What was this world coming to? Tony was out of hand; he nearly got himself suspended a couple weeks ago. He didn't know what he was gonna do about this time; Jenny was definitely gonna suspend Tony now. Losing Tim has really changed things and he prayed to god that he would get his son back.

"Abby, whatcha got for me?" He placed the cup down and looked at the Goth.

After the woman got back from her three-month suspension, she wasn't the same. She never played her loud music, but sad slow ones, she was never bouncy or happy, always serious. And a week after her return, all her computer screens had a single picture of Tim…just like she'd done when he "quit" a couple years back.

"Nothing much, Gibbs. The peculiar dirt on the Petty Officer's boots are no match to any local areas so I've put out a national search…and so far, nothing."

"Just keep lookin', Abs," he whispered, kissing her temple. But there was no reaction; she was too busy staring sadly at her computer screen…at Tim.

"I miss him, Gibbs."

"It'll be okay, Abby." Gibbs wrapped an arm around her shoulder and hugged her gently. But would it be okay? He missed his son, too and he wanted nothing more than for him to come home. "It'll be okay." _I miss him, too._

~+NCIS+~

Tim was happy; happier than he'd felt in years. He'd decided to go visit his parents and stay in Dayton for a while. He was able to get a job at a computer agency where he was making large amounts of money. And even better, he met a beautiful girl named Kendall. She had fiery red hair, striking green eyes, full pink lips, perfect teeth and a clutter of freckles on her nose. Her laugh was cute, she was smart, funny, adventurous, caring, and he then found out she was a writer as well. What are the odds? He sometimes wondered what he did to deserve her…but he loved her to death and was grateful she came into his life. And soon…he planned on proposing to her; he'd already bought a 1,000 dollar green sapphire ring to match her eyes and he couldn't wait to marry her…the girl of his dreams. Occasionally, he would email Ziva and Ducky to say hi and tell them how he was doing. But as the months went by, he stopped, wanting to focus on his life in Ohio and not the past.

One night, it was about eleven at Kendall's place and Tim was still up while his girlfriend was sleeping peacefully. Her head was on his chest and her arm wrapped around his waist loosely. He was unconsciously running his fingers through her hair while staring at the far wall. Something wasn't right; he had a gut feeling something was wrong at home…in D.C. It was worrying him and he wished he could figure it out.

"Baby?" A groggy voice said and Kendall's head lifted off his chest. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just…something just doesn't feel right; like I'm having this gut feeling. It's telling me something's wrong and it won't go away."

Kendall sighed as she sat up, laying her head on Tim's shoulder, and interlocking hands with him.

"You're stressed, Tim; with the computer agency and your parents, I'm sure it's nothing…but if it's bothering you this bad then you should follow your intuitions and find out what the problem is."

That sounded like something Gibbs would say… "Yeah…okay."

"Now get some sleep, babe…please?"

"Alright…thanks Ken."

The two snuggled closer to each other as they kissed one another on the lips briefly before falling into a comforting sleep. There was nothing to worry about…right?

~+NCIS+~

"Tim…Tim, wake up!"

McGee sleepily opened his eyes and found that he was alone on the bed and a frantic voice was hovering over him. He flipped over onto his back after he felt someone shaking his arm and came face to face with his girlfriend.

"Mmmm, Kendall? What's wrong?" Her face was a mask of fear and sadness. She had _his_ cellphone open in her hand and tears were running down her face. Immediately, he sat up, wondering why she looked so panicked.

"What? What's the matter, Kendall, what's going on?"

"It's Sarah…she's dead."

~+NCIS+~

He was disconnected from his body and from his mind. Sarah was dead; he couldn't believe this was happening. His parents were devastated and took the first flight to D.C. He and Kendall took a later flight and were now driving to his apartment in Silver Springs. He was quiet the whole way and he let Kendall drive since he was too far-off to concentrate on anything.

"You gonna be okay, Tim?" Kendall asked, glancing at the man worriedly.

"I don't know," then Tim turned to her with a sad smile on his drawn face. "Thanks for being here for me; you really didn't have to come."

"Tim stop; I love you and I'll always be here for you." She took Tim's hand in hers, smiling reassuringly.

"Thanks, Kenny. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Crash and burn."

"Definitely," Tim smiled. Then a thought came to him. "Hey Kendall, can you drop me off right here?"

Kendall frowned but slowed down anyways, pulling over to the side.

"What's wrong?"

"It's…I gotta go see someone. Get yourself settled at my apartment; I'll be over there in an hour, 'kay?"

"Alright," she said after a kiss from Tim. She wasn't the clingy, jealous type; she trusted and knew Tim well enough to know that'd he'd never cheat on her. "Just be careful and call me when you're on your way home, promise?"

"I promise, Kenny and I love you."

With that, they kissed once more before Tim stepped out of the car and headed towards his destination.

~+NCIS+~

Gibbs was carefully sanding down his _latest_ boat, musing over the last case. It had taken a lot longer since Carl was on medical leave, thanks to DiNozzo. But the senior agent had done what everyone else wanted to do. He hated Carl's guts and he was outraged when Jenny stuck the rookie on his team. But now Tony was suspended for three days so it was just himself and Ziva…and it was dreadfully quiet.

Suddenly, his sniper trained ears heard the front door open. He figured it was either Tony or Abby coming for a drink and a venting session, so he waited for either of them to show their faces. But the steps down the stairs were hesitant and he knew neither Abby or Tony would be that way. Frowning, yet not looking up, he stopped what he was doing and listened intently. And when the footsteps stopped, he looked up and he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Tim?"

McGee smiled sheepishly. "Hey."

Gibbs was shocked. He couldn't believe that Timothy 'no middle name' McGee was standing right in front of him after seven months. He looked better, though; his usual paleness was replaced with a healthy tan, his eyes were greener than ever and he looked like he'd lost quite a bit of weight. And best of all, he looked happy…but there was a hint of sorrow in his green eyes. Something wasn't right. Breaking out of his stupor, he grabbed two glasses and some bourbon, gesturing the younger man to come sit. Tim nodded as he continued his descent down the stairs. When they were both settled down, they just sat there in awkward silence, Tim looking at his drink and Gibbs looking at Tim.

"So how've you been, Tim?" Gibbs asked after taking a long sip of bourbon.

"Good…pretty good. I stayed with my parents for a couple months before working at a computer agency; that's where I met my girlfriend, Kendall."

"She nice?"

"Yeah…I was gonna propose to her but…"

"But what?" Gibbs frowned.

"Umm…today I found out that…my um..." he couldn't continue as he got choked up. He could believe this was really happening.

"Tim, what is it?" Gibbs said, completely worried and nor caring if his concern was showing.

"Sarah…she…she was killed in a car accident a few days ago. We just found out this morning."

"Ah hell, Tim." Gibbs looked at his agent sadly, completely horrified.

Tim nodded, looking down at the floor. "My parents are devastated; they don't even understand how it happened," he looked up, tears in his eyes. "It was just so…unexpected, you know?"

Gibbs sighed, rubbing a hand across his face.

"Boss, what am I gonna do?" Tim realized he let 'boss' slip instead of saying 'Gibbs,' but he didn't really care at the moment.

Gibbs put down his glass and moved over to the opposite bench, sitting next to Tim. The kid was like his son…no, he _was_ his son and unlike before, he was gonna make sure he was there for the kid. He made a huge mistake all those months ago- before the incident, too- and it cost him. He put his arm around Tim's shoulder and brought the man close.

"You'll get through this, Tim, I know you can. "You're tough; if you can stand up to the team, if you can stand up to _me _like you did seven months ago, you _will_ get through this…I promise you'll be okay."

All of a sudden, Tim burst out in heaving sobs and it broke Gibb' heart to hear it. Sighing heavily, he brought his other arm around Tim, hugging the slender man tightly. Violent tremors shook through Tim's body as he brought his arms around Gibbs, scrunching the older man's shirt tightly in his fists. Tim continued to cry and Gibbs continued to hold him in his fatherly embrace. McGee was stunned at this, though; he couldn't believe this was the man he hated earlier. This was the man who used, who hurt, who _betrayed_ him and now he was being a better father than his _real_ one! The Admiral would just tell him to suck it up and stop being a baby.

After what seemed like hours, McGee pulled away, sniffing and wiping his face with the back of his hand.

"Sorry for getting your shirt wet."

Gibbs gently slapped Tim upside the head with a smirk. "Hey, don't apologize-"

"Right, because it's a sign of weakness."

"No, because it's not your fault; nothing is."

Tim smiled weakly before yawning and rubbing his eyes tiredly. He's been running on low energy since he woke up that morning and he just wanted to go home and sleep forever, Kendall by his side.

"You need to crash here?"

Tim shook his head as he stood up to stretch his limbs. "No I gotta get home; I told Kendall I'd be back in an hour and it's been…" Tim looked at his watch and his eyes went wide. "Dammit." It was thirty minutes over. And even though he knew Kendall wouldn't be pissed, he knew she'd be worried.

Gibbs smirked. "I'm giving you a ride, though. I'm not letting you walk."

Tim smiled. Only Gibbs. "Okay…and Gibbs? Can you um…can you not tell the team I'm here? I'm not sure I'm ready."

"I promise Tim. Just let me know when you are."

"I will."

Just as they were about to step into the car, Gibbs stopped him. "Are you gonna come back?"

Tim looked at Gibbs uncertainly and shrugged. "Not sure; I haven't really thought about it."

Ten minutes into the car ride, Tim was fast asleep, his cheek plastered against the window and his breath fogging up the glass. Gibbs smirked; the kid looked young, but even younger when he was sleeping. When he finally pulled up to McGee's apartment, the kid hadn't stirred…he must've been really exhausted. And as much as he didn't want to wake him, the seat of a car isn't exactly a comfortable place to sleep.

"Tim…Tim wake up."

Nothing. He was out cold. Pursing his lips sadly, he got out of the car and went around to the passenger side. Opening the door, he unbuckled the seat beat and gently pulled Tim from the car. After bringing the man's arm around his shoulder and wrapping his own arm around the slim waist, he walked into the building with a limp Tim by his side. Thankfully there was an elevator, and even thought Tim was nearly weightless now, Gibbs wasn't like he used to be. When they reached Tim's apartment, he hitched the man further on his hip before knocking on the door.

"Finally, Tim! I've been worried sick about-"

The door opened and a stunning green-eyed, red head was standing right in front of him with a troubled look on her face. _Good for you, Tim._

"Oh my god, what happened? Is he okay?"

"Yeah…just tired. He told me he hasn't slept since the news this morning."

Kendall nodded sadly and gestured for Gibbs to bring Tim into the apartment. And within a few minutes, Tim was settled comfortably in his bed and Kendall came out of the room, her arms wrapped around her midriff.

"Are you sure he's okay?"

"He's overwhelmed and in shock; but he's tough, he can make it through this."

"Yeah…Sarah meant a lot to him and she was like sister to me. But I still can't imagine what he's going through."

"You keep him close by; he's gonna need you the most right now."

Kendall nodded, running a hand over her face. "Well, thanks for bringing him back…"

"Gibbs; his boss." _Well, _was_ his boss._

"Oh, _Agent_ Gibbs? Yeah, Tim told me about you…and what happened. I can tell he's unsure if he want to go back or not…to work with you I mean."

"I don't blame him…just tell him that my door's always open."

Gibbs headed for the door, Kendall trailing behind him.

"Thanks again Agent Gibbs."

The older man bobbed his head before he stepped out into the hallway; once he heard the door click shut, he blew out a shaky breath. Now _he_ was exhausted…he just hoped Tim wouldn't end up leaving forever. But if he did, he wouldn't blame the kid…but the team was falling apart without him.

~+NCIS+~

**A Couple Days Later**

Tony was reading the newspaper solemnly, his feet propped up on the desk and waiting for Gibbs to show up. Ziva was quietly typing something on her computer and Carl, thankfully, was still on medical leave. He'd really bashed the guy's face in and now, he felt better…much better. Sighing heavily, he flipped the page, landing on the obituaries and suddenly, a familiar face was staring back at him. He nearly fell out of his chair as he tried to sit up hastily.

"Oh my god."

Ziva looked up in alarm, immediately standing and going over to her partner.

"What is it, Tony?" Ziva peered over the man's shoulder and looked at the picture he was staring at.

"Oh no."

At that moment, Gibbs came sauntering in, looking tense and more pissed than ever. Tony jumped to his feet and followed the man to his desk with the paper clutched in his hand.

"Boss, did you know-"

"Yeah, I know."

"Do you think Tim does?"

"Probably."

"Do you think he'll-"

Gibbs already knew Tim was here, but he was gonna keep his promise; he wasn't gonna tell the team Tim was back unless the kid said otherwise. "I don't know…maybe."

Tony's spirits went up; maybe they'd be able to see Tim.

"Man, the guy must be devastated," Tony mumbled as he walked back to his seat to read the obit.

They all liked Sarah no matter how outspoken she was. She was a nice girl and now she'd been killed.

"Are we gonna go to the funeral, Gibbs?" Ziva asked, musing over what she had just heard. Poor Tim.

"I don't know…it's Tim decision."

As much as he respected the younger agent, Tony intended on going to the funeral whether Tim wanted him to or not. He wanted to see his friend…even if he didn't actually talk to him. Smiling to himself, he folded up the paper and tucked it away in his inside pocket.

"Gear up!" Gibbs shouted suddenly. "Dead Naval Officer in Norfolk."

~+NCIS+~

**24 Hours Later**

Tim stood in front of the mirror, staring at his depressing attire. He never thought his baby sister would go before him…and he was a federal agent for god sake! He put his life on the line every day, but his sister gets killed in a freakin' car crash! Kendall suddenly came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"You ready?"

She was wearing a beautiful black knee-length dress with a square neckline, a large belt around her slender waist and black ballet flats. She also was wearing a gold necklace and pearl earrings he had bought her a while back. So, even in depressing matters, she still managed to look completely remarkable.

"Not really," Tim swallowed.

"It'll be okay, I'll be right by your side the whole way. You're not alone in this."

Tim sighed inwardly as he turned around to face Kendall. He smiled weakly before bringing her in for a kiss. They stood there for a minute before pulling apart.

"What did I ever do to deserve you, Kendall Parker?" Tim smiled.

Kendall chuckled. "You're just a very lucky man, Timothy McGee."

They hugged each other tightly for a long two minutes before they realized they had to get going.

"It'll be okay, I promise."

**TBC**

** Guess this isn't the last chapter. Wow, I think this is the longest chapter I've written! SOOO what's gonna happen? What will Tim decide? REVIEWS! P.S: Who's gonna be my 200****th**** reviewer?! ;) **


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Hey everybody! I'm so sorry for being so behind, but this was the last chapter and I wanted to get it as perfect as I could. FYI this is another long one and I apologize to the people who may not like what Tim's choice will be. It was a hard choice for me as much as it was for him. Anyways I hope you still like it nonetheless and I wanted to thank everyone for the reviews/favorites/alerts and sticking with this story to the end. I love you all!**

Tim sat almost completely still staring at his sister's closed coffin. They had the service outside since it was such a nice day, but Tim thought about it: how could it be nice and sunny on such a depressing day. Kendall was on his right while both his parents were on his left, his mom crying and his dad the stoic man he always was. He wanted to cry, he really did, but he couldn't; he didn't think he had any tears left. McGee swallowed thickly as he closed his eyes and tried to think of the happier times with his sister. Suddenly, he felt a warm hand cover his and he opened his eyes cautiously.

"Tim?"

"I'm okay, Kenny."

Kendall looked skeptical, but Tim had a right to act like this. His sister- his baby sister who he protected all his life- was gone forever. She nodded and returned her gaze towards the minister while squeezing Tim's hand gently.

"I'm right here if you need me."

Tim looked over at his girlfriend and smiled sadly. "I know." He listened, though zoning out a few times, at the prayer by the minister and the eulogy his dad wrote. His mom had asked him to do one as well, but he had said it was too much to bear. He didn't think- no, he _knew_ he wouldn't be able to get up in front of all these people and talk about his sister. It hurt too much. He just wanted to get this over with.

Meanwhile, Tony stepped out of his car after he parked it far from sight of anyone. He straightened his black jacket and gave a once over of his dispiriting attire. Making sure he looked presentable, he began his journey through the cemetery and towards the group. He knew Tim wasn't gonna want to see him, but _he_ wanted to see the kid. He really missed him and McGee being gone…it's changed a lot of things. It changed him; it made him realize what he took for granted. Tony scrubbed his mouth wearily as he reached the last row and sat down in a vacant chair. He was well out of sight, yet still there for his friend.

Once the service was over, they all watched as Sarah's coffin was lowered underground. Tony was more focused on Tim, however, the sadness he saw in the kid's eyes. The hurt. The same hurt he saw when he left him all those months ago. Tim leaned into the red-headed woman on his right and he was curious as to who that was. Mom? Another sister? Friend? Girlfriend? He moved in to get a better look and to possibly talk to the guy. He really wanted to talk to him. And he was so close; if he just got in front of the large man standing between them, he would see Tim and Tim would see him.

"Do you want to go home, Tim?" The red-head whispered.

"Yeah…um…I'm kinda tired."

"Alright; hey, look at me."

Tim looked down at the mysterious red-head with teary eyes; it made Tony want to cry himself. Never had he seen Tim like this. The two held hands and the woman smiled softly.

"It'll be okay; I'm going to be with you."

McGee smiled back and before Tony knew it, Tim and the woman kissed briefly, causing Tony to grin.

"Tim, you sly dog." He was proud of his Probie for getting such a stunning looking woman…and he didn't want to ruin Tim's day even more by showing up. He had been so intent on seeing the man that he didn't actually think about how Tim would feel. He wasn't even supposed to be here. Sighing, he turned around and headed back towards his car; upon reaching the door, he had a feeling Tim might've saw him…but maybe he was just imagining things. He watched as Tim looked around before going to his car with the woman by his side. Smiling sadly, he got into his own car and drove away. Now to face Gibbs.

Tim had this weird sense that someone he knew was close. After he kissed Kendall, he felt eyes on him and out of his peripheral vision he swore that he saw Tony standing behind some guy. Frowning, he turned back to Kendall before needing to look twice; was he imagining things? Turning back around, he found that the spot behind the large man was empty. Yeah, he was imagining things.

"Come on, let's go," he whispered.

~+NCIS+~

"Where have you been?" Ziva said suspiciously as Tony sat down at his desk. The man had left for a lunch break almost two hours ago and the way he was dressed made her curious. "It looks as if you were just at a funeral."

"I was," he said simply, powering up his computer.

The Israeli woman squinted her eyes at the senior agent; she was about to ask who had died when realization, followed by anger, hit her. Good thing Gibbs was up in MTAC so he wouldn't be able to witness this.

"You went to Sarah's funeral did you not?"

Tony's silence indicated a yes.

"Tim asked you to come?" If Tim had, she was a little stung on how the man would invite someone who has hurt him so much and didn't accept that Tim had left.

"Not exactly."

"Wow, I never thought you would actually disrespect Tim that much," Ziva scoffed, standing up and going to stand in front of Tony's desk.

"What are you talking about?" Tony growled.

"I cannot believe this; going against what Tim wants…it is obvious that you cannot change your ways. I do not blame Tim for leaving and not trusting us to change."

"Ziva, I've changed."

"You call crashing a funeral changing? Punching someone in the nose? When will you learn to give people space?"

Tony stood up and towered over the woman. "I didn't talk to him! I was going to, but realized that seeing me would just make his day worse! So no, I didn't crash the funeral!"

"That does not change anything, DiNozzo," Ziva seethed. "You still went and you defied the orders to stay away from Tim unless otherwise. I do not know why Tim was friends with you or how you feel you two are even brothers, because you are a sorry excuse of one sometimes. You'll never change; even the Director said that when she talked to all of us. And I wouldn't blame Tim if he never wanted to set foot in this place ever again."

Tony clenched his jaw before pushing past Ziva and heading towards the bathroom. He couldn't listen to her anymore; mostly, because of what she had said was true. He desperately wanted to change, but every time he tried to make it right by doing what _he_ thought was right, things just got worse. And that's exactly what Jenny had discussed to them all those months ago.

_Flashback: __**Four Months Ago**_

_"I'm sure you all know why I've called you four to my office this morning. It's regarding the past events of this year." Jenny looked at the members of the MCRT. "Tim as you know has left, and before you ask, I don't know for how long. I told him as long as he needed seeing as how stressed out he's been around all of you. He really didn't need that kind of stress after the dog attack. Never, in my entire life, have I seen such disrespect towards a fellow teammate. Here at NCIS, we don't tolerate harassing or spreading of rumors or any of the other things that has happened to Agent McGee. And Jethro, I don't know how you label your team members, but favoritism is not encouraged."_

_ "Jenny-" Gibbs began._

_ "Jethro, I'll give you your chance to speak, but I'm not finished. DiNozzo, I'll start with you."_

_ Tony swallowed and stared directly into Jenny's eyes. He couldn't believe this was happening; he felt like he'd been sent to the principal's office…but worse._

_ "I understand that you haven't done much to welcome Agent McGee to the team. Witness reports from other NCIS agents say that you harass Agent McGee, belittle him, "tease"- as you may call it- and sometimes even physically harming him."_

_ "Jenny-"_

_ "DiNozzo, do not interrupt me. You claim to be loyal to your teammates and you claim to be "brothers" with Agent McGee, but yet you have nothing to show for it. I understand it's your way of "toughening up" McGee, but a few times, not only other agents, but _I've_ noticed you crossed the line. I don't know where you learned how to be like a brother, but you sure as hell don't act like one. And know you said you'd try, but I don't know if you can change from your frat boy persona to a civilized agent and friend."_

_Tony remained silent and looked down at his clasped hands as the Director moved onto Abby. He had never felt so embarrassed, so put down…maybe that's how Tim felt sometimes._

_ "Miss. Scuito, welcome back, but I'm guessing so much time away from your machines weren't fun. Onto more serious matters, though; your behavior towards McGee and in general has been severely unacceptable. I don't where you get off thinking it's okay to abuse your friends, but I really hope the time off gave you an attitude adjustment. Now, I hope you don't think that you're off the hook; Gibbs' favoritism will not be tolerated anymore. I'll let you wear your regular clothes, but if you do something wrong, Gibbs' will not be able to get you out of it and you will not dump it on someone else…like Agent McGee. I hoped you learned your lesson Abby."_

_ "I have, Director," Abby whispered._

_ "Now Jethro," Jenny sighed. "I hope I don't have to say much that I haven't already said to your team. I know you think of Abby and Ziva like a daughter and Tony like a son, but where does that leave Agent McGee? Favoritism isn't what runs a team."_

_ "I treat my team equally and Tim is my son, too. I definitely don't show favoritism."_

_ "The hell you don't. I've seen one too many times where you give more attention to DiNozzo and Abby than you do to McGee. And Ziva, she is Mossad, but less experienced in the field, yet you send her instead of Agent McGee. I'm not trying to demean you, Ziva," Jenny said to the Israeli. "But you know how it is with Jethro."_

_Gibbs grumbled while rolling his eyes, waiting for Jenny to continue._

_"Anyways, Jethro, McGee is taken for granted way too much and as much as I want him to return, I wouldn't blame him if he didn't. A team leader is supposed to care for _all_ of their teammates, but you…you just leave Tim behind. He's felt put down and he feels that he isn't trusted or part of the team. That's not how things work around here. Now I seriously hope you can change for both you and Tim's sake. If not, things _will_ change."_

_ The room was quiet for a few moments, people musing over what had been said and what they had done._

_ "Now, I should punish you all with suspension, but instead you will be on call for the next month, no exceptions or arguments. And if Agent McGee decides to return, behavior is going to be different. Are we clear?"_

_ "Yes, Director," the four said in unison._

_*End Flashback*_

Tony was leaning against the sink, his knuckles white as he clenched the sides. His breathing was ragged and sweat was coating his forehead. He felt sick now that he remembered the talk and now that he thought about it, he hadn't been a good brother at all.

"Tony."

He jumped at the familiar voice, not recalling the door having opened. He turned around and came face to face with Ziva. The girl never hesitated to enter the men's room and it was kind of getting annoying.

"Ziva, for the last time, this is the _men's _bathroom."

The woman shrugged and leaned against the wall.

"What are you doing here?" Tony turned away.

"What I said…I apologize. It's-"

"True. What you said…you're right. I haven't changed at all and if Tim ever came back, I'd probably just drive him away again….it's just…I wanted to see him, Ziva. When we last saw each other, we got off on a bad note and I just wanted to make it right. When I was in high school, there was this geeky kid, kinda like Tim, and we became friends. I don't know why, but we did; and had I known he was getting beaten up I would've…" DiNozzo clenched his fist and inhaled deeply. "He never told me and I never knew since they hit him in places that weren't exposed. I would've gotten him some help, I would've stuck up for him, but it was too late. He committed suicide in the bathroom. It's something I never wanted to see again and I vowed to myself I wouldn't let it happen again…but I did."

"McGee did not kill himself Tony," Ziva said softly.

"I know, but he left and who knows if he's ever coming back…it just feels the same, that's all. I miss him."

"I do too, Tony," Ziva said, placing a hand on the man's arm. "But we just have to be patient and wait to see what happens."

The senior agent nodded quietly before a small smile materialized on his face. "Thanks, Z."

The woman smiled back at him. "You are welcome; and we will see Tim again. Even if he decides not to come back, I'm sure he'll come to say goodbye." _I hope._

~+NCIS+~

"Tim?"

Kendall entered Tim's bedroom with a hot cup of tea in her hands. The older man had slept all day and she wondered if she should be concerned. Well, yeah, she should be…all week he'd been having nightmares. And not just from the recent week; nightmares from his past…the dog issue. She wished she could understand what he was going through and she tried, but she knew it wouldn't do much. The man was still out cold and she smiled sadly as she placed the cup on the nightstand and scooted over to his side, placing a hand on his forehead.

"Tim."

The man groaned, shifting slightly until he was facing Kendall. His eyes blinked open and he smiled tiredly before grabbing her hand.

"Hey."

"Hey, yourself," Kendall smiled. "How're you feeling?"

Tim shrugged before sitting up and leaning against the headboard. "No worse. What time is it?"

"Almost five; you slept most of the day. I've been bored out of my mind."

Tim smirked as he wiped a hand across his face. "You could've woken me up."

"No, you needed to rest; I made you some tea, though." Kendall grabbed the, now, lukewarm drink and passed it to McGee.

"Thanks, Kenny," Tim said, grabbing the cup and taking a few sips. The tea reminded him of Ducky…and Ducky reminded him of NCIS…and NCIS reminded him of whether or not he wanted to go back.

"What are you thinking about?" Kendall said softly, stroking Tim's hair. He had suddenly gone quiet and his stare was blank.

"Nothing it's just…I don't know if I should go back or not."

Kendall pursed her lips and sighed. "You want to know what I think?"

Tim slid his eyes over to his girlfriend. "What?"

"I think that you should do whatever your gut _and_ your heart tells you to do. It sounds a bit cliché and cheesy, but it works. Why don't you go there for a while and just look at it; if you really want to stay then you'll know. I can't tell you how you'll know, but you will."

"What about you?"

"What about me? I'll support you, Tim, and if I have to, I'll move here with you."

"You'd really do that?"

"Of course; I love you."

Tim grinned and pecked Kendall on the lips. "I love you, too…and thanks…you really know what to say."

"That's what I'm here for; now come on, time to get up."

"We going somewhere?" Tim yawned as he climbed out of bed.

"I made reservations at an Italian restaurant that just opened up…and then I was thinking a movie," then she smiled mischievously. "Or we could just come back here?"

Tim chuckled. "Sounds like a plan, Ms. Parker."

Kendall laughed the laugh Tim always loved to hear, making him happier than ever.

"Now come on lazy-butt, get ready."

"Aye, aye." And as Tim headed for the bathroom, his smile faded as he thought of a certain Italian man he knew. He actually kind of missed DiNozzo…and Gibbs, Ziva and Ducky…maybe even Abby. Well, right now he didn't want to think about them; right now he was going on a wonderful date with his girlfriend and he was gonna be happy.

~+NCIS+~

**Three Days Later**

Tim stepped out of the elevator and into the ever so familiar building. He got off on the balcony floor just in case the team was there, but it was only seven so no one had arrived yet. He leaned against the rail and scanned the room below. He had to admit, there had been some good memories…and some bad ones. They had been his family- his very dysfunctional family- and many times they had his six; they talked him through tough times- like Tony had done for him when he shot the cop or when Kate died. Ziva had come over to cook for him and when he'd got sick one time, she cared for him. Abby, as childish as she was, had her moments; he remembered the good times where she and him worked endlessly in the lab together. It had been fun. And Gibbs…was just Gibbs. Like Kendall, he knew the right things to say- most of the time- and the guy was like a father figure to him since his real dad was never really there for him. Ducky was like a grandfather and he knew he'd miss the man's stories if he left. Jimmy, even though they weren't close, they had some good times, especially when the man invited him over for some new MMORPG game he'd gotten. So as much as they betrayed him, he knew he'd still miss them; it'd be weird to not see them around anymore. Tony's jokes to lighten the mood, Ziva's many mistaken idioms, Ducky's stories, Abby's music, Jimmy's awkwardness, and Gibbs' dry sense of humor and few worded sentences.

But there were the bad things he had to take into consideration as well. All the hurtful things Tony had said and done, Ziva- as good of a friend as she was- just standing there and laughing along, how Abby constantly used and belittled him, Ducky and how he sometimes didn't think of Tim's feelings, and Gibbs' betrayal, accusing attitude and insensitivity he had towards him sometimes. It hurt…and it sucked, because it was so hard to make the right decision. Taking a deep breath, he walked towards the Director's office, still unsure about what he was gonna do. Just as he was about to knock on the door, it opened and he came face to face with Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

"Tim," Gibbs said, clearly surprised.

Tim gave the older man a small smile, meeting the blue eyes. "Hey." And without another word, he slid past him into the room, knowing the man was still watching him until he shut the door.

"Tim," the Director smiled. "It's good to see you again; you look better."

"Thank you; I feel better, too."

"I'm presuming you've made a decision?"

"Yes, I have," Tim sighed, sitting down across from the woman. This was it; whatever he chose would change his life forever. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly before he began to speak. He hoped he was making the right choice.

~+NCIS+~

**Twenty Minutes Later**

"Are you sure, Tim?

"Yes, I'm sure; it'll be hard for a while, but I'll get used to it and so will the team. I'm sure they can make it work."

"Alright then, I'll get the paperwork all set up and when you come in tomorrow, it'll be all ready for you to sign."

"Thank you." Tim got up as a weight lifted off his chest. He shook hands with Jenny and smiled. It was done. He made towards the door and as soon as he opened it, he bumped into Gibbs once again.

"Gibbs," he really hoped the man hadn't heard his and Jenny's conversation.

"I didn't hear anything, Tim." As much as he wanted to eavesdrop on the meeting, he promised himself that he'd change. And that meant staying out of Tim's business unless it was life-threatening or the kid wanted him to. So he sat on the couch for the next twenty minutes and waited; as much as he hated to do it, he waited. And when he heard the doorknob turn, he jumped up and stood by the door. He knew the meeting was about whether or not Tim wanted to continue working at NCIS. But he had a gut feeling that there was going to be bad news.

"What's the verdict?"

Tim looked hesitant…almost scared to tell Gibbs. "Umm…can I talk to you in your office?"

Smirking slightly, Gibbs nodded and he pointed towards the exit and back out onto the balcony. As they made for the stairs, Tim saw that Tony and Ziva had arrived and were now sitting at their desks. He stopped short just as Gibbs got the fourth step.

"Wait."

Gibbs turned around and looked at his _maybe_ ex-agent in concern.

"Umm, I don't think I'm ready for them to see me…not right now."

The older man nodded in understanding as he came back up the stairs and walked towards the elevator with McGee by his side. Once inside the safety of the compartment, Tim pressed the button for the lobby and the doors closed before the elevator jolted to life. When Gibbs felt like they were a little ways down, he flicked the switch causing the light to go off and the elevator froze.

"Tim, talk to me."

"There's really not much to say," McGee said, clearing his throat and running a hand through his hair.

"Are you leaving?"

Tim swallowed and looked Gibbs in the eyes. "I don't think this is a good place to talk."

"Tim, we're alone; no one can hear us."

"I know, but…" he leaned over and flipped the power back on. "I want to say this once; can you…if you can get everyone at your house tonight, uh, well," Tim ended with a shrug. The doors opened and McGee stood in the entrance.

"Sure Tim; what time?"

"I'll come at six thirty…if that's alright with you?

"Don't need to ask, Tim," Gibbs smiled, patting the younger man's shoulder. "Door's always open."

"Thanks…I'll see you later." With that Tim disappeared from sight.

Gibbs sighed heavily as pressed the button for his floor. His gut was nagging him more than ever and it wasn't a good thing. He had a feeling that Timothy McGee would no longer be an NCIS agent- _his_ NCIS agent; he just hoped, for once, that his gut was wrong

~+NCIS+~

**0625 HRS**

"Boss, what are we doing here? Are we waiting for someone?"

Gibbs remained silent as he poured another cup of bourbon for himself. Thankfully, no one had anything to do so the whole team had come over around six and stationed in the living room, apparently- to everyone's except Gibbs' knowledge- waiting for someone else to arrive. Gibbs already knew Tim was coming, yet the others didn't. Tim had asked him not to say anything and he promised not to tell.

"Patience Anthony; I'm sure Jethro has a good reason for having us here…right Jethro?"

"Yep."

Tony groaned. He was tired; they had a boring day at work mostly because all they did was friggin cold cases. He wanted to go home and sleep for the rest of the weekend. When Gibbs had called, he was just getting ready to shower; he wasn't particularly happy to be here right at the moment.

Ziva just sat quietly on the arm of the couch with a cup of tea in her hands. She had a feeling of who might be coming. Maybe because she had seen McGee when the man and Gibbs were up on the balcony? But she wasn't gonna tell Tony or anyone else about; they were just gonna have to wait for the surprise. She smiled to herself before taking another sip of the drink. Gibbs glanced at his watch and then at the door; he knew Tim would never lie or bail, but he was starting to wonder whether the kid would show. By six thirty-five there was still no sign of Tim and now Gibbs' doubtfulness was replaced with worry. He knew better than to think Tim would skip out on them; maybe something bad had happened? Maybe something happened to him and he couldn't call or do anything to get help. Gibbs was starting to get worried; just as he was about to call Tim's cell, there was a knock on the door. The whole room went still and quiet as they glanced at the door and then at Gibbs. When Tony made a move towards it, Gibbs stopped him and shook his head.

"Go sit."

Reluctantly, the senior agent did, but he wouldn't keep his eyes off the door. Who the hell was coming over? The team waited anxiously as Gibbs turned the doorknob and opened the door, yet he blocked the entrance so no one could see who was standing outside.

"Boss, who is it?" Tony said impatiently.

Smirking, he moved out of the way and all he heard were gasps. The man standing in the door was none other Timothy 'no name' McGee. The man took a deep breath, his chest heaving before he spoke.

"Hey."

"Tim?"

"Timothy?"

"Timmy?"

There were three equally shocked faces in the room; Ziva and Gibbs were the only ones that knew. Gibbs patted Tim on the shoulder and led him to the couch; when he gestured him to sit, Tim shook his head.

"I'll only be here for a few minutes."

Shrugging, Gibbs leaned against the armchair. "So Tim…"

The junior agent took a deep breath and looked at everyone staring anxiously back at him. He bit his lip in hesitation before he spoke softly.

"Umm, I've spoken to the Director about a few things. I've had a lot of time to think and I've gotten some opinions from others; it was a really hard decision for me to make. I love my job and…you guys. No matter how spiteful you all can be at times, you're like a family when I need it most. I know it's not completely intentional when you hurt me," Tim saw Tony grimace and Abby look to the floor sadly, so he continued quickly. "And it'll take me a while to get used to it and a hellova long time for you to earn it, but…I forgive you, and…I'm coming back."

The tension in the room cracked, filled with sounds of relief. Out of nowhere, Tony was immediately in front of him and he pulled Tim into a tight embrace. Tentative, he slowly brought his arms around Tony and smiled weakly.

_Thank god. _It had been hard without Tim around for seven months. It'd be worse if it'd been forever. And not just because of the computer work being a bitch without the genius, but he needed a guy friend…he needed a brother. And Gibbs, as much as he liked the guy, would never be able to fit that slot. No one would. "I'm sorry, Tim; I'm so sorry. I promise I'll change."

"No you won't Tony," Tim said, breaking away, but still had a smile on his face. "I know you can't, because that's who you are. Just try not to cross the line, okay?"

"Okay kid." Tony stepped back, grinning, and moved out of the way so Ziva could come over.

"I am glad you decided to stay; I would've missed you too much," the woman said as she hugged Tim and pecked him on the cheek.

"Thanks Ziva."

Ducky came over and shook the younger man's hand while patting his arm. "It's good to have you back lad; you look well."

Tim smiled at this.

"Yeah, McSkinny," Tony chipped in. "Look at you: you lost the whiteness, you've shed a few L-B's…how much?"

"Almost thirty-five."

"Woo," Tony grinned. "Girl?" He wasn't gonna talk about how he'd shown up at the funeral uninvited. One: because Gibbs' didn't know…or maybe he did, and two: he wasn't sure if Tim knew he had been there.

"Umm, yeah…her name is Kendall. I met her at my job back in Ohio."

"Good for you, Tim," Tony smiled. He was proud of his Probie. His Probie, growing up.

And then Abby came up. Tim wasn't afraid of her being jealous of him getting a girlfriend. He had grown a few back at home and he'd start standing up to her if he had to…and this time he knew Gibbs would have his back…hopefully. He hoped trusting the man- trusting everyone- again would be the right thing.

"Hey, Tim," Abby said quietly. She came up in front of him and it seemed like she was waiting for permission to hug him.

Sighing inwardly, Tim held out his arms and let Abby hug him, surprisingly, gently. He smiled and hugged her back.

"I am so sorry, Tim, for the way I've treated you. There's totally no excuse for it. And I promise I'll do anything to make it up to you."

"Abs there's no need. I accept your apology…just give it time, because…"

"I know…things will be different between us, but I'll try my best to earn your forgiveness."

"I know you will, Abby." Once they pulled apart they all started talking about the things Tim missed when he was gone. Around 0738, Tim yawned and scrubbed his eyes tiredly. Gibbs knew the kid was beat, and he was wondering if he should offer the guest bed to him.

"So Tim," Ziva said. "When are you thinking of returning?"

"Well, tomorrow I'm gonna sign some papers with the Director, but I should be back Monday."

"A fresh start," Ducky replied.

"Yeah…well, I should head out."

"You sure you don't want to crash here?"

Tim looked down at his watch. He was kinda tired and Kendall was spending the night with his parents _and_ he didn't really feel like driving.

"Sure; I guess one night couldn't hurt."

"But shouldn't you be getting home to Kendall?" Tony said, waggling his eyebrows.

Tim rolled his eyes and smirked. "No, she's with my parents tonight. They're leaving tomorrow morning and she's bringing them to the airport." Tim sat down on the couch and wiped his face; these last two weeks have been exhausting.

"Alright," Tony said, noticing this. "Time for us to go; see you later, Pro…er- Tim." He pat Tim on the shoulder before ushering everyone out the door. Just as Gibbs was about to shut the door, Tony turned back around and looked at Tim who was staring into the fire tiredly.

"He'll be okay, DiNozzo."

"Yeah…I know." With that he left as Gibbs shut the door. The horrible gut feeling he had earlier had gone away, replaced with relief and contentment. Tim was coming back; the man he considered his son was coming back.

"Tim, the guest bed is ready if you want to-" he stopped his sentence when he noticed Tim comfortably passed out on the couch, snoring lightly and his face peaceful. He smirked as he went to him and draped a blanket over the kid's body before tending to the fire. He went back over to McGee and squeezed the man's shoulder gently.

"Night, Tim." And just as he was about to head upstairs, he heard a faint voice come from the couch.

"Night…Boss."

Gibbs smiled, feeling better than he had in months. Tim leaving sort of left a hole in his heart where his entire family was; now it was filling up again. He took a deep breath and headed upstairs to get some much needed rest.

~+NCIS+~

**Two Days Later**

Tim sighed heavily as he stepped out of the warm shower and into the chilly air. Tomorrow was his first day back and to be honest, he was more nervous than excited. He was worried if the team would really keep their word…that they would treat him better. He'd just have to wait and see. It was almost ten and he was ready to hit the hay early tonight; Kendall was already asleep and he couldn't wait to go lay down with her. Her hair smelled so good after she took showers and he just wanted to curl up with her forever. Once he shaved and pulled on a t-shirt and sweatpants, Tim flipped off the light and made his way to the bedroom. Just as he was about to climb in bed, there was a soft knock on the door. _Who the hell was here at ten o' clock?_ Groaning, he slowly walked out of his room and down the hall towards the door; not even bothering to look through the peephole, he unlocked the door and swung it open, coming face to face with the one and only Tony DiNozzo.

"Hey Tim," the man smiled.

"Tony? What are you doing here?" Tim moved out of the way and let DiNozzo inside. Something was hinky; the man was dressed up and to Tim, he knew Tony had an idea. "Tony."

"I'm taking you out."

"What? Tony-"

"Tim, please hear me out; I just wanna catch up with you. I know the last time we saw each other- besides seeing you at Gibbs' place- we didn't really part on a good note and…I just want to make it up to you…and we never really hung out outside of work. We need to start doing that more often."

"I was just going to bed," Tim said hesitantly.

"Come on, just for a couple hours?"

Tim looked towards the bedroom that was calling for him…but Tony was right; if they were gonna reconcile, they had to start somewhere. He smiled weakly at the older man and exhaled in defeat.

"Alright, just let me get ready."

Tony replied with a smile. "Okay, take your time man."

With that, Tim disappeared back in his bedroom while Tony went into the man's study, checking out the awesome record collection he had. Tim went to his closet and pulled on a simple Armani suit, minus the tie, and pulled on some shoes. He went over to the bed and watched his girlfriend sleep for a moment before brushing the red hair behind her ear.

"Kendall? Kenny."

"Hmm, Tim what's the matter?" Kendall opened her tired green eyes that flashed with worry.

"Nothing…um, my…co-worker," he wasn't quite ready to say friend yet, "And I, we're just gonna catch up; is that okay?"

"Sure," Kendall smiled. "Go have fun; just don't come home too late."

"Don't worry; I'll only be gone a few hours. My spare gun is on the nightstand just in case you need it."

"Tim, it's not like you live in the middle of thug-town; I'll be fine."

Tim smirked. "I know it's just…"

"I'll be careful, sweetie. _You_ just be careful and have a good time." She leaned forward and they kissed for five long seconds. Tim didn't want to pull apart, he wanted to cherish this moment for so much longer, but Tony was waiting.

"Alright," Kendall said, patting Tim on the cheek. "Go on, get out of here."

"Okay…love you Kenny."

"Love you too Tim."

Tim exited the bedroom and went to the kitchen to grab his wallet.

"Ready?" Tony said coming from the study.

"Yeah, let's go."

~+NCIS+~

"So," Tony said before taking a sip of beer. Tim did the same as he waited for the older man to continue. "When do I get to meet Kendall?"

"Tony-"

"I'm just kidding, man," Tony chuckled. Tim snorted a laugh and shook his head. "How are you Tim? What happened after you left?"

The younger agent took another sip of his beer and cleared his throat. And for the next fifteen minutes, McGee told Tony everything he did while he was gone. His job, how he met Kendall, his first date with her and everything else in between.

"Wow, you've been McBusy…have you proposed to her yet?"

Tim sputtered, nearly choking on his drink. He looked at the senior agent incredulously, his eyes wide.

"Of course not, we haven't been together that long."

"Tim, I think seven months is long enough if you look this happy," Tony grinned, bumping shoulders with the younger man which earned him a small smile.

"I guess I never really thought about it."

"Let me ask you this McLoverboy: do you love her?"

"Obviously."

"Does she love you?"

"I would like to hope so, yeah."

"Is she the one?"

Tim opened his mouth but no sound emerged. He really had to think about the question for a moment. Kendall was the love of his life, but he hadn't really had a good track record with woman. He just didn't want to get hurt again…but then he remembered what Kendall told him the day he confessed about it.

_"Timothy McGee, I don't care about your past, all I care about is your future and my future with you. I want to be with you forever and I will _never_ hurt you…I promise."_

Tim looked at Tony with a small smile. "Yeah…yeah she's the one."

"Good for you, buddy," then he reached into his pocket, pulling something out and concealing it in his hand. Tim frowned and waited anxiously to see what Tony was hiding.

"Hold out your hand."

"You're not proposing to _me_ are you?"

Tony rolled his eyes and sighed. "Just give me your hand."

Still unsure, Tim slowly held out his palm.

"I want you to have this," he said, placing an object in Tim's hand. It was a ring. "It was my mom's; she gave it to me before she died for when I got married…but seeing as you may beat me to the punch, it's yours."

Tim was shocked; he really couldn't believe this, that Tony would do something like this. The man had been so insensitive and such a harasser so many months back, but now he was giving him advice and giving him something that meant so much to the Italian.

"Tony, you really don't have to do this."

"You're right I don't, but I am."

"This was meant for you; I can't take it," Tim said, holding it out to give back to Tony.

"You aren't taking it; I'm giving it to you. I know this probably won't make up for all the shit I've done to you and I know that I haven't acted like an older brother these past years, but you deserve this. Kendall deserves it."

Tim looked from the senior agent then down to the gold and green gem ring. He swallowed before taking a deep breath. "I really don't know what to say, Tony…thanks."

"No problemo Tim. I really hope things work out with you and your lady."

Tim smirked as he picked up his beer bottle and held it out. Tony did the same and they clicked them together.

"Me too."

~+NCIS+~

**The Next Morning: 0723**

Seven. Seven more minutes until McGee got here. Tony tapped his foot and looked at his watch; McGee promised 0730 if not, a little earlier. The kid was always on time and- not just him, but everyone else- was excited for the man's arrival. Ziva had left for the café twenty minutes earlier to get a welcoming back present; Gibbs was somewhere around the building and it left Tony alone in the bullpen. He looked at his watch again, unable to contain his anxiousness; he stood up and paced the area, hands behind his back. He just hoped the man wasn't too hungover; the kid was a lightweight and after two beers, McGee was laughing like a little girl. That's when he decided to bring him home; he was gonna stick to his word. Only two hours. The man needed to get back to his lady anyways and he was proud of his friend for getting someone who really cared for him. Unlike those other bitches that really broke his heart. And from now on he was gonna stick by the man no matter what.

"Did he get here yet?" Ziva panted as she ran into the bullpen with a bag and coffee in her hand. She placed them on Tim's desk and turned back to Tony.

"What do you think Ziver? Don't worry; he's still got five minutes."

"Who's got five minutes?" A voice said from the stairwell.

The two turned around and found Tim standing on the second ledge with a small smile on his face.

"Tim!" Ziva smiled as she ran to the bottom of the stairwell while Tim walked down the rest of the steps. She nearly tackled him like Abby used to.

"Ah, Ziva, hey," Tim smiled, hugging the Israeli.

"Tim it is so great to see you."

"You too Z, but we saw each other a couple days ago."

"I know, but it just seemed like forever."

Ziva let go as Tony came up, patting McGee on the back. "When did you get here?"

"An hour ago; I had to finish some more paperwork."

"Well, it's great to see you nonetheless."

The three walked back to the bullpen, Ziva clinging to Tim's arm and Tony walking in front of them.

"Gibbs here yet?" Asked McGee.

"Yeah he's here somewhere. But you know him," Tony turned around to face his two teammates with a grin. "Probably getting another gallon of coffee that he doesn't need when it's not even that cold out." As Tony continued, Gibbs quietly came up behind the senior agent with a smirk on his face. Tim and Ziva's eyes went wide and tried to contain their smiles. "But I guess an old man's gotta have something to keep him from taking a nap on the job, right?"

Tim and Ziva remained silent causing the grin to fall from Tony's face, all his color draining. "He's right behind me isn't he?"

"Yeah," Ziva chuckled.

Almost immediately Gibbs smacked the back of Tony's head eliciting a pained groan from the man. "A little warning might be nice next time you guys."

Ziva and Tim laughed when they heard some other familiar voices.

"Timothy, I'm so glad that you decided to return," Ducky said as he gave McGee a hug.

"Hey, McGee," Jimmy smiled while he shook Tim's hand. "It's great to see you again."

"You too; the both of you."

And then Abby came up with a small smile on her face and a bouquet of blue flowers in her arms. "Hey Timmy; I'm so glad you decided to give all of us a second chance." She passed him the flowers and Tim gratefully took them.

"Thank you, Abby." He gave her a one armed hug and kissed her on the head. When they pulled away, McGee looked at everyone. "I really hope I made the right choice…choosing to stay. I really want to work with you guys again; I just don't want to deal with repeat occurrences again."

"It'll never happen again, Tim," Gibbs said, squeezing Tim's shoulder.

"Thanks Boss."

Gibbs grinned. _Boss. Coming from the kid, it had a nice ring to it._ When McGee called him 'Gibbs' it just showed the older man that Tim had no respect or trust in him. He was glad the old, yet improved Timothy McGee had returned as well as a new and improved team. Tim had a positive effect on everyone and he would never again allow something like this to happen.

"Alright, we have a case to work on; Tony, you and Tim go talk to the witness and get him caught up. Ziva…"

Tim smiled as he grabbed his gear and the breakfast Ziva bought for him. Things were actually changing around here. For once, he wasn't gonna be chained to a computer- though he did like doing that once in a while- and he was going out into the field like a real federal agent should. He caught Gibbs' eyes as he began to leave and the older man nodded with a smirk. He returned the gesture before getting into the elevator with Tony. Things were changing and he was glad he could trust his family again. He was glad he gave them a second chance.

**FINIS**

** Finally after 7 months and 6 days Mauled is officially finished! I'm so grateful for all the reviews and ecstatic that I got 200+! You guys are the best. Now on to my other stories and when I'm done those, I have another NCIS story in mind :) stay tuned! REVIEWS!**


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